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Parents guilty of amputee baby's life-changing injuries | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The parents of a six-week-old baby boy have been found guilty of causing him near-fatal injuries which resulted in the amputation of both his legs. | |
Jody Simpson, 24, and Tony Smith, 46, from Whitstable, denied assaulting, ill treating or neglecting their child, to cause unnecessary suffering or injury. | Jody Simpson, 24, and Tony Smith, 46, from Whitstable, denied assaulting, ill treating or neglecting their child, to cause unnecessary suffering or injury. |
The jury at Maidstone Crown Court returned their verdict in less than an hour following a two-week trial. | The jury at Maidstone Crown Court returned their verdict in less than an hour following a two-week trial. |
The court was then told Tony Smith Jr had been adopted and is a happy child. | |
The couple were found guilty of causing or allowing serious physical harm to a child and cruelty and neglect to a person under 16 years. | |
Live: More news from across the South East | Live: More news from across the South East |
The judge had told the jury to decide if the injuries which almost killed baby Tony were "non-accidental". | |
Addressing the court after the verdicts, Judge Philip Statman praised the NHS, calling its treatment of the baby "utterly remarkable". | |
"I can't remember a case where the level of care has been higher than this... because as you know baby Tony was seconds away from death when he arrived at the doctors surgery. | |
"It is also utterly remarkable that we have foster carers who take these children and look after them in this way, especially when the child has such serious disabilities | |
"Baby Tony's adopted family are absolute stars," he said. | |
'Moribund' | |
Simpson and Smith had taken the baby to a GP with "cold-like" symptoms in November 2014. | |
But on arrival an expert said he was "moribund" and hospital X-rays revealed 11 fractures and septicaemia. | |
Judge Statman told the jury that the prosecution was not required to prove which defendant caused Tony physical harm or which allowed the serious physical harm to occur. | |
The prosecution claimed Tony's injuries were "non-accidental" and "far in excess of normal handling or even rough play". | The prosecution claimed Tony's injuries were "non-accidental" and "far in excess of normal handling or even rough play". |
The jury previously heard the prosecution assert that baby Tony's injuries would have been obvious and Smith and Simpson delayed taking him to get medical treatment. | The jury previously heard the prosecution assert that baby Tony's injuries would have been obvious and Smith and Simpson delayed taking him to get medical treatment. |
Smith told the court he did not take the baby to a doctor earlier because he was waiting in for a plumber. | Smith told the court he did not take the baby to a doctor earlier because he was waiting in for a plumber. |
The defence stated that not all of Tony's symptoms, such as the septicaemia, would have been obvious. | The defence stated that not all of Tony's symptoms, such as the septicaemia, would have been obvious. |