BRUTAL FATHER

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 August 1929, Page 9

BRUTAL FATHER

FIENDISH ASSAULT ON BABY. A labourer’s fiendish brutality towards a two-year-old girl was described at Hanley (Staffs) Police Court when Edward Parker, of Bow Street, Hanley, was sentenced to six months hard labour for assaulting Annie Carroll. . In a scathing condemnation oi the man’s behaviour the chairman of the Bench said: “It is impossible to conceive any human being guilty of such an atrocity. Here is a little child subjected to an outrageous offence. Physical punishment would, perhaps, be the best way to deal with you, although it is not in our power to order this. You will go to gaol for six months with hard labour, and I wish it were possible to send you for six years.” Michael Carroll, Bow Street, Hanley, the father-in-law of Parker, said the latter and his wife lived with him. There were two children, one Annie, and a younger child. Parker was not the father of Annie.

On May 18, continued the witness, the child Annie was put to bed. Later Parker cam© home, and although he had had drink, was sober. Parker went upstairs, and shortly afterwards witness heard the child being smacked by Parker. She began to cry. There followed three bumps as if somethinghad struck th© bedstead, and the child ceased crying. Parker came downstairs and then went out.

When witness went into the bedroom he found Annie lying on the bed covered with blood, bleeding from the ears, eyes and mouth. Her eyes were black. Dr. Kingsley Inman described the girl’s injuries. She had, he said, been injured extensively about the face, which was so dark at first he thought she had fallen down in the mud. Her head and the upper part of her body were covered with bruises. The injuries, were so exceptionally bad that they might have been caused by a knuckle-duster or some hard, flat instrument. They were almost sufficient to cause a fracture of the skull. Constable Hill stated that Parker said, when interviewed, ‘T cannot give any explanation. If there is any trouble I shall have to put up with it. I only smacked her with the flat of my hand, and the injuries must have been caused by falling on the bedpost.” Questioned by the chairman, Parker declared that he was disgusted with his married life. He had asked his wife to chastise the child, but she would not do so. The child was often in a filthy state, and he had to bath it and look after it. ®