Devon dad jailed for cruel abuse of four-year-old daughter

The child has the "sunniest smile" but suffers nightmares about what he did

A cruel Devon dad who pushed his young daughter into a doorframe and subjected her to violent abuse has been jailed. He dished out a catalogue of cruelties to his four-year-old that included picking her up by the hair, hitting her around the head and striking her with a hairbrush.

Exeter Crown Court was played distressing video of his behaviour. He blamed a "general lack of sleep and stress" for his actions, which often happened when he was getting the child ready for school.

A social worker said in a statement that the child has nightmares during which she shouts: "Stop, Daddy. No, Daddy. That hurts, Daddy."

The defendant pleaded guilty to 14 charges relating to her ill-treatment and causing her suffering. The offences are said to have taken place in Cornwall and relate to a four-month period.

His crimes came to light after a number of reports from concerned adults. The child's school also noticed injuries. The defendant initially told police she had run into the doorframe herself and that he would never hurt her. But he now says he feels ashamed and is "empty inside."

Beth Rickerby, prosecuting, said the father used "significant force on occasions and there were multiple incidents of cruelty and he had failed to seek medical help when she was visibly injured.

Peter Seigne, defending, said the father has no previous convictions and the abuse, distressing and upsetting as it was, was not as bad as some cruelty cases heard at court.

In a statement the social worker said she had come to greatly care for the girl who has "the sunniest smile". She said the child had nightmares every evening in which she shouted for her father to stop hitting her but could not remember them in the morning. She would also wet the bed.

The child knew her father had been mean to her. She described her as hyper-vigilant, somebody who needs constant reassurance and worries she will be forgotten or overlooked by adults.

Judge Stephen Climie said the defendant had "a total lack of appreciation and understanding" for his daughter wellbeing. "Your behaviour towards her as witnessed in the recordings we have just watched were no doubt a snapshot

"There was verbal aggression in the extreme that was wholly unwarranted and on a number of occasions physical violence towards your young child." He said a pre-sentence report showed him to be a man easily overwhelmed by life, unsuited to being a parent and coping with situations which mums and dads up and down the land deal with on a daily basis without laying a finger on their child.

"This must be an immediate prison sentence otherwise the public interest would be undermined with the court dealt with the abuse of children."

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