Man left premature baby disabled and in constant pain after ‘monstrous’ attack
A man who carried out a ‘monstrous’ attack on an eight week old baby, leaving the infant with profound disabilities, has been jailed for 21 years.
Tom Kember, 27, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a child.
The baby, who can not be named for legal reasons, suffered head injuries and now, five years on, is non-verbal, registered blind, suffers multiple daily seizures and has other complex needs.
The youngster was born prematurely had been discharged from hospital just 10 days before being attacked by Kember – probably on two occasions – in Taunton, Somerset in January 2020.
The worst of the child’s injuries have been likened to those caused by a car crash, or falling from a two-storey high building.
Kember’s partner Katherine Reilly, 25, was found guilty of child cruelty at the same trial last year.
She was handed a six-month jail term suspended for two years, with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and an unpaid work requirement of 200 hours.
The jury was shown footage of Kember and Reilly, 25,eating a meal in a McDonald’s restaurant on January 13 2020 as Kember searched ‘if baby hits its head does the baby sleep a lot’ on his phone.
The previous day Kember searched ‘what happend if u hit a baby’s face’ and ‘can a baby be sick if it gets hit’.
Police believe he had assaulted the baby on one occasion by then, and committed a further assault after leaving McDonald’s at about 11.17pm.
Kember called 111 reporting that the infant was unresponsive at about 1.20am on January 14.
Paramedics noted the baby had facial bruising and raised concerns with staff at Musgrove Park Hospital, who alerted Avon and Somerset Police.
At 6.10am on January 14 – after the baby had been taken to hospital -Kember searched ‘can I get dosent for abiseing … baby’ – believed to be a mistyped search for ‘can I get done for abusing … baby’.
After sentencing, Judge Julian Lambert told him: ‘The victim of your crime was extremely vulnerable at only eight weeks old, after a premature birth.
‘The consequences where utterly catastrophic, traumatic brain injury. You have robbed a child of most quality of life.
‘This was an attack of monstrous evil with the worst possible consequences.’
He added: ‘You show no remorse. This was an extreme explosive rage, exerting forces far beyond rough handling and similar to the force of a car crash, or a fall from a height.’
The judge said Kember had two previous convictions – one for domestic violence against a former partner.
The other was for an incident with police. He was being taken to custody in a police car and while they were driving down the motorway at 70mph he grabbed the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to veer across the carriageway.
The judge said he also threatened police officers during his trial and had exhibited ‘rage and dangerous loss of control’,
Sentencing Reilly, the Judge Lambert said there was believed to be an 80-minute period between Kember inflicting the injuries and contacting 111.
He told Reilly her actions in not seeking medical attention during that time were ‘wicked and spineless’, with medical evidence stating that any delay could have increased the harm to the baby.
‘You betrayed the helpless injured baby by shielding the wicked monster who had so grievously injured them,’ the judge said.
‘You seem to have no conscience and show no regret for failing the child. The law is such that I cannot punish you for your cowardly failure to reveal the truth. Many decent folk will think I should be able to do so.’
Prosecuting, Robin Shellard said the infant’s difficulties would be life-long, adding that the child has a reduced life expectancy because of their injuries.
In a statement, the child’s adoptive parents described the impact of Kember’s actions on their lives.
They said: ‘There is not one part of their body that has not been affected by the injuries they sustained. They are in pain day and night.”
They described themselves as ‘angry and heartbroken’ on behalf of their child, whose future had been ‘stolen’ by Kember.
Judge Lambert paid tribute to the child, who he said ‘fights and fights and fights yet maintains their happy disposition’ as well as their parents.
‘Their noble and selfless conduct shows what towering good there is in people against a background of savage cruelty,’ he added.
Kember and Reilly remain in a ‘committed relationship’, Edd Hetherington, representing Kember, said.
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