Luton Man Guilty Of Causing Brain Damage To Toddler

20 March 2014, 06:50 | Updated: 20 March 2014, 07:11

Luton man Ryan Parker has been found guilty of seriously injuring a three-year-old boy, leaving him with brain damage.

A Luton man has been told he faces a long time behind bars for causing injuries to a 3-year-old boy, which he may never recover from.

29-year-old Ryan Parker left the child with brain damage that means he cannot see properly and his speech and language have been harmed.

The court heard the boy's grandmother noticed an enormous amount of bruising to his face, eye and foreheard. He was taken to the Luton and Dunstable hospital, where medical staff found more than 50 bruises, abrasions, scratches and pinch injuries.

Prosecutor David Matthew warned the jury of 7 women and 5 men about the photographs of the boy’s injuries that they were to see during the trial.

He said: “Some are pretty horrific. You are going to be looking at some really horrible things. You are going to have to brace yourselves.

"The most serious injury is the brain injury. His brain hasn’t fully recovered. He still cannot see right, his speech and language have been harmed and he has not come on emotionally. He did him so much damage the boy is unlikely ever to fully recover.”

Parker claimed the boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, had slipped onto a radiator.

The 29-year-old from Butlin Road in Luton was convicted of cruelty to a person aged under-16 between November 4th and 12th November 2012 and two charges of grievous bodily harm with intent.

He was cleared of a third charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, admitting causing grievous bodily harm.

After the jury returned their verdicts, he admitted possessing indecent images of children, some of which were at Level 5 the most serious.

He, and a woman defendant, will be sentenced once pre-sentence reports have been prepared.

Judge Stuart Bridge said: "I want a full assessment of the level of risk Mr Parker poses so that I can consider how long a period of custody he must service. It could be an indefinite sentence."

He told Parker: “You have been convicted of causing appalling violence to a three-year-old. You will be sentenced for a very long period of imprisonment.”