DPP set to appeal three-year sentence for cruelty to baby

THE DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions is set to appeal the three-year prison term imposed on a man earlier this week for cruelty to a 10-month-old baby boy.

Confirmation that the DPP is considering lodging the appeal came two days after the sentencing of Larry Connors (20) at Ennis Circuit Court.

Also yesterday the children’s charity Barnardos said the violence perpetrated on the baby could have ended up in his death.

Ennis Circuit Court was told medics found the baby suffered two broken forearms; a dislocated right elbow; a significant brain bleed; a bite mark to his right cheek; a burn mark from an iron to his calf and multiple bruising across his body when admitted to hospital on January 3rd last year.

Yesterday, director of advocacy with Barnardos, Norah Gibbons, said the baby in this case had been “tortured” by Connors, of Cronan Lawn, Shannon, Co Clare, over a three-week period.

She said: “This case reminded me of the Baby P case in England [where a baby died after sustaining 50 separate injuries] and we could have been looking at a child’s death here. It could have happened in a very short time.”

Ms Gibbons said: “It is totally shocking that an adult is capable of doing what this man did to a very small child.”

She said the DPP should consider lodging an appeal against the sentence.

“We are very happy that a custodial sentence has been handed down. I would welcome the DPP to consider lodging an appeal in light of all of the information, to see if this is a suitable case to appeal the length of sentence.”

Last night a Garda spokesman said: “The DPP is considering the case with the view to lodging an appeal.”

In court, the baby’s mother stated that her former partner – who is not the father of the baby – “slapped, kicked, punched and threw my baby around the apartment like he was a toy”.

Connors was prosecuted under section 246 of the Children’s Act under which the maximum sentence allowed for the offence is seven years in prison.

Connors received credit in court for his guilty plea and having no previous convictions.

However, Connors initially pleaded not guilty resulting in the case going to trial last November. In that case, the mother testified against Connors under cross-examination before the trial collapsed after a doctor gave evidence that was due to be given by a different doctor on the injuries sustained by the baby.

The case was adjourned to January when Connors changed his plea to guilty with the sentencing deferred to this week. In court on Monday, the baby’s mother said that at the height of the abuse suffered by her baby, “Larry Connors became psychotic and he would lock himself into the room with the child and he would start to scream and roar at the child”.

The baby and his mother now reside in the UK. The mother said her baby “is doing fine”.

However, she said he requires speech therapy because of a tear injury to his mouth, while he will also require to have his dislocated elbow broken later this year to have it reset.