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JAILED: Father locked up as baby's ribs broken

A Dudley father has been jailed for two years after his 12-week-old daughter was found to have suffered multiple fractures.

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The 24-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted allowing the baby to suffer serious physical harm.

The child's 21-year-old mother pleaded guilty to the same charge but was bailed until October 5 for social services to look into her present circumstances.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the 84-day-old baby had been rushed to the emergency department at Russells Hall Hospital on May 18, 2013 because she was not breathing properly. Miss Sally Hancox, prosecuting, said the child had bruising on her face and there was dried blood near her left nostril. She said further investigations also revealed a skull fracture up to 10 days old and a fracture to her collarbone.

Miss Hancox said the baby had also suffered three broken ribs on her right side and two more on her left side. These were up to eight-weeks-old and there was also a healing fracture to her right forearm.

There was also a healing fracture to the bone above her left knee while there was a three-week-old lower leg fracture and also a two week old fracture to her right ankle.

Miss Hancox said: "After an overall investigation it was firmly deemed none of the injuries could be placed in the accidental category. These fractures would have caused the child considerable pain."

In his basis of plea, the father accepted he was responsible for some of the injuries but maintained his actions had not been deliberate. But he admitted his handling of the baby had been 'rough at times'. The mother, who cannot be named, admitted the charge on the basis she should have done more to protect her baby from her partner who she described as 'violent'.

Mr Simon Rippon, defending the mother, said she had been beaten by the father. "This child suffered distressful harm at the hands of the father," he said.

Mr Simon Hanns, defending the father, said: "He accepts incompetence and handling the child in a heavy-handed nature."

Judge Martin Walsh was told the baby and the couple's other child were now the subject of proceedings in the family court and it was expected they would be put up for adoption.

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