Man guilty of beating baby
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 15th November 2001.
A MAN has been convicted of assaulting a baby, who needed emergency surgery after a blow ruptured her intestines.
Andrew Knight, 28, formerly of Bull Lane Corner, West Wratting, but now living in Cambridge, denied charges of assaulting the 15-month-old baby in January this year at Haverhill.
A jury at Bury St Edmunds Crown Court took four hours to reach a guilty verdict on Knight, who was remanded in custody when his case was adjourned for sentence to December 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Judge JS Sennitt told Knight, who has no previous convictions: “This is a very serious offence and therefore I am remanding you in custody pending sentence.”
Knight was convicted by a unanimous verdict of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the child. He had told the court that the child had fallen down the stairs while he was looking after her, but doctors said this could not have caused her massive abdominal injury.
Doctors agreed the child has suffered a punch, kick or stamping with considerable force. Knight claimed she had seemed fine, although tired, after the fall. He said her condition only got worse, so that an ambulance was called after he mother came home from work.
Knight denied the suggestion by Roslyn Mandil-Wade, prosecuting, that he inflicted the injury and made up a story about the fall to explain why the child was unwell..
Earlier in the trial the child’s 30-year-old mother wept as she denied causing her any injury. She also said Knight threatened to hit her if she called an ambulance.
Andrew Knight, 28, formerly of Bull Lane Corner, West Wratting, but now living in Cambridge, denied charges of assaulting the 15-month-old baby in January this year at Haverhill.
A jury at Bury St Edmunds Crown Court took four hours to reach a guilty verdict on Knight, who was remanded in custody when his case was adjourned for sentence to December 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Judge JS Sennitt told Knight, who has no previous convictions: “This is a very serious offence and therefore I am remanding you in custody pending sentence.”
Knight was convicted by a unanimous verdict of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the child. He had told the court that the child had fallen down the stairs while he was looking after her, but doctors said this could not have caused her massive abdominal injury.
Doctors agreed the child has suffered a punch, kick or stamping with considerable force. Knight claimed she had seemed fine, although tired, after the fall. He said her condition only got worse, so that an ambulance was called after he mother came home from work.
Knight denied the suggestion by Roslyn Mandil-Wade, prosecuting, that he inflicted the injury and made up a story about the fall to explain why the child was unwell..
Earlier in the trial the child’s 30-year-old mother wept as she denied causing her any injury. She also said Knight threatened to hit her if she called an ambulance.
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