'Completely unforgivable' - Judge slams Hartlepool dad who bit his own child

The Hartlepool man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested after a bite mark was spotted on the toddler’s upper body by another person.

Teesside Crown Court was told that a forensic orthodontist later confirmed that the father was the biter.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said the defendant’s relationship with the child’s mother had since ended.

Mr Constantine added that the father had since engaged with a therapist to tackle anger issues and had no previous convictions.

Prosecutor Caroline McGurk told the court that the Crown regarded it as an aggravating feature that the defendant, who is in his 20s, had initially sought to blame another person.

The judge said that it was an unpremeditated act which lasted only a short period of time.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Paul Watson, told him: “You completely lost your temper with this little girl.

"What you did was completely unforgivable. It wasn't just a nip it was a full-on bite that you held for several seconds and it must have been exceptionally painful for this little girl."

The judge added that “I fully accept that your remorse was immediate and you have regretted it”, continuing: "You're not somebody, I'm satisfied, who is ever likely to commit this sort of offence again

"You have taken steps to ensure that you don't repeat this sort of conduct."

The father received a 10-month jail sentence, which was suspended for 12 months, with 25 days rehabilitation activities after he pleaded guilty to one count of child cruelty.

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