Man jailed after assaulting a newborn baby
Ernest Oakley was sentenced to 14 months behind bars.
A Norwich man has been jailed after assaulting a four-week-old baby.
32-year-old Ernest Oakley, of Swanton Road, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH).
The court heard how Oakley took the 26-day-old baby to Norwich University Hospital in November 2023, claiming that another young child had accidentally kicked him in the head while he was on the sofa.
The baby then became unwell and he was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where doctors raised concerns to police about Oakley's account of what happened.
Police arrested Oakley on the 29th of November 2023. Following a detailed investigation to establish how the baby was injured, he was charged in April 2024. At this stage, Oakley continued to deny his involvement. However, when a trial date was set, he changed his plea. He admitted that he’d lashed out while he was drunk at someone who was holding the baby, and in doing so inadvertently struck the baby.
When sentencing Oakley to 14 months imprisonment, Judge Katharine Moore said, "You have assaulted your 26 day old son, having lashed out (at someone else) in temper, whilst drunk. Your infant son, albeit not intended but through recklessness, was struck also - causing an elevated area to the right-hand side of his head".
Following sentencing, Detective Constable Rachel Woods from Norfolk Police's Child Abuse Investigation Unit said: “This was an especially upsetting case, where a tiny baby was injured."
"Our team is dedicated to protecting children of all ages and will continue to bring those who seek to harm them before the courts."