13 years for Huddersfield ‘coward’ who stomped on screaming toddler

Daniel Joyce stamped on the two-year-old’s stomach causing him life-threatening injuries.

The youngster was aged only four when he gave evidence in court and became one of the youngest children to testify in a British criminal trial.

Yesterday, a jury at Bradford Crown Court found 29-year-old Joyce guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Judge Jonathan Rose contrasted the “cowardly and reprehensible” actions of Joyce with the “courage and bravery” of the victim.

“I’m quite deliberate in the use of the word cowardly,” he told Joyce.

“It seems to me you are indeed a coward, not least when one compares your conduct against the bravery of that little boy.”

The victim appeared at court and was questioned by barristers in live evidence that spanned half a day.

The judge and lawyers involved removed their wigs and gowns to make the session less intimidating for the youngster.

He gave live video evidence from an adjoining room, accompanied by a court usher and a female intermediary.

As part of the process he was handed cardboard cut-outs representing those involved in the case and various houses where he had lived.

At one point he described how he was stamped on by Joyce in a house in Huddersfield in February 2010.

The court heard how the boy’s bowel was torn and required surgery and how he was bruised on his groin, left leg and back.

He also had injuries to his face, inside his mouth and on his ear, where Joyce had held his mouth shut during the attack to stop him screaming.

He needed an emergency operation for life-threatening injuries and may need further surgery, although his long-term prognosis is good.

Joyce, of Bankfield Road, Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield, claimed that he found the child being sick and told his mother that the boy needed a doctor.

Judge Rose said the motive for the attack remained unclear, adding: “There are no circumstances known to man which could possibly justify or even mitigate this horrendous attack on a defenceless and innocent baby.”

He told Joyce, who has convictions for violence, that “lying and deception comes easy to a man like you”.

“The assault was motivated by self-interest. You used a shod foot, a weapon,” he told him.

“You have shown no remorse whatsoever. The head you shake stood in the dock indicates you remain in that position.”

Referring to the victim, he added: “He is a remarkable little boy. Although too young to appreciate what he has done, he may one day understand how this court appreciates his honesty, bravery and fortitude.”

Detective Inspector Gail Lawrie, of Calderdale Police’s safeguarding unit, said: “It is hard to understand what could ever compel a man to injure a young child in the brutal way in which Daniel Joyce assaulted the victim in this case.

“The child in question was only two-and-a-half-years-old when Joyce subjected him to a brutal assault, stamping on his body and causing him life-threatening injuries that required prolonged intensive care.

“Joyce is now behind bars where he belongs and we are pleased with the sentence handed out by the courts today.

“What is unique about this case is the fact that the punishment he received may not have been possible had the victim not been able to give officers a video interview that left us in no doubt as to what took place on February 26 last year.

“That special dispensation was granted for this interview work to take place is a testimony to the extremely sensitive, detailed and highly professional work of the Safeguarding Unit’s investigating officers who worked on this case.

“It is also a testimony to the bravery of the child victim, who has been through so much at such a young age, but will now, hopefully, one day forget this sad episode in his life.

“West Yorkshire Police and our partners who work in the safeguarding of children are committed to protecting and ensuring the welfare of the young and vulnerable in our communities.

“We will thoroughly investigate any report of child abuse and, as we have shown here, will use the full force of the law to prosecute people responsible for these appalling crimes.”