A man who burnt a defenceless two-year-old child with a cigarette, smashed her head against a radiator and smothered her face with a pillow as part of a month-long campaign of abuse has been jailed.

The child was also locked in a cupboard, forced to lick food off the floor, beaten and gagged, Hull Crown Court heard.

Nathan Thomas Fox, 21, of Kirton in Lindsey, admitted causing the child serious physical harm and committing crimes of child cruelty between February and March 2016.

A female co-defendant also admitted allowing serious physical harm of the child.

Prosecuting, John Thackray, told Hull Crown Court Fox deliberately fractured the girl's arm and beat her so badly she had bruises across her nose, arm, chest and abdomen.

"It is not known precisely how the fracture was caused," Mr Thackray said.

"But medical exams show the fracture is consistent with twisting or bending.

"The child was subject to emotional abuse, being locked in a cupboard and forced to lick food off the floor.

"The child was gagged with socks and a quilt cover, had food forced down her throat and was punched on her body and legs.

"Fox also covered her face with his hands and hit her head on a radiator."

Mr Thackray added that the female co-defendant assisted Fox by covering the child's injuries with make-up and telling police she had fallen down stairs.

In messages exchanged between the defendants, Mr Thackray said Fox wrote he hurt the child because "she would not shut up" and it was revealed he had "picked the child up by her head."

It was not until the girl was taken to accident and emergency by family members that police and social services became involved.

The female defendant made admissions to police at the first opportunity, but Fox denied any wrongdoing.

Mitigating for Fox, Craig Lowe said: "He would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the pain and suffering he caused to her for what he readily concedes is appalling behaviour.

“This defendant has no relevant previous convictions.”

Mr Lowe added Fox had shown “genuine and extreme remorse” and was “addicted to cannabis” at the time of the offences.

Hull Crown Court
Hull Crown Court

He said that Fox also had anxiety and was suffering from stress and depression for which he takes medication.

“The defendant was regularly left to look after the child which he had no training for. He was totally out of his depth and unable to cope," said Mr Lowe.

The court also heard Fox had a “high level of immaturity” and became frustrated easily.

However, Mr Lowe said Fox stopped taking drugs “off his own back” and was keen to become a better person and start a career.

“He says he would do anything to turn back the clock to change what happened."

Megan Reece, mitigating for the female defendant, reminded the court she had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

She also said the female defendant initially believed Fox's excuses when she challenged him about the child's injuries.

Miss Reece added that the female defendant claimed Fox had threatened to kill the child if she told anyone what he had done.

“She accepts that at time she covered up what was going on. She was on the receiving end of violence from Fox," she said.

“It was a relief for her to tell someone what had happened.”

Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told the female defendant her "paralysis of action" in protecting the child was "shameful."

To Fox, he said: "For any human being to do that to another human being is unspeakable.

"To do it to a child defies all understanding."

He sentenced Fox to seven years imprisonment and the female defendant was handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.