JAILED: Drunken Walsall bully who punched crying BABY son in the face
A drunken bully from Walsall has been jailed for punching his crying baby son in the face when he was told he couldn't go on an amusement arcade.
Lee Merrett, 23, flew into a booze-fuelled rage after downing most of a bottle of Jack Daniels and hitting his terrified lover 20 times before turning on their nine-month-old son.
Merrett wanted to play in an amusement arcade while on holiday at a caravan park in Dymchurch, Kent, but the baby's mother asked if he would stay with her and their child.
A row broke out over Merrett's drinking which resulted in him hitting his partner in the face before throwing an aerosol can at her.
The thug then punched the crying baby in the face, leaving the nine-month-old with a swollen black eye.
Scott Brady, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court that Merrett then headbutted the woman before she managed to get away.
Mr Brady said: "It was at this point she managed to escape from the caravan and she went to a number of caravans, banging on the doors, until she found someone to let her and her child inside, and called the police."
Merrett was found hiding under a caravan by officers and admitted the two assaults.
The mother claimed she was struck 20 times during the argument and their three-year relationship was now at an end.
Mr Brady added: "He admitted to calling her all sorts of things and giving her abuse and claimed she had smacked him in the face before he grabbed her around the throat for between 15 to 20 seconds."
Merrett was jailed for 15 months for the assaults, which Judge Simon James described as 'frankly unforgivable, disgraceful and cowardly'.
He told Merrett: "You punched your young child in the face, causing bruising.
"Violence against a child of his age is frankly unforgivable.
"It was a disgraceful and cowardly act. It was your job to protect your child, not subject him to violence."
