Drug-users' child left with 30 injuries

A consultant paediatrician who examined the three-year-old child after she suffered the 48-hour ordeal, said the bruising around her neck was the worst he had seen in 30 years.

The toddler's mother, 31, and her 22-year-old boyfriend, from the Barnsley area, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday and both admitted cruelty to a person under 16.

Prosecutor Sarah Wright said the couple, who cannot be named to protect the child's identity, pleaded guilty on the basis that neither of them perpetrated the physical abuse.

The court heard that on September 7 last year, the boyfriend rang his mother saying the toddler had sprayed air freshener into her own face and asking for advice.

She told him to bathe the girl's face but the following morning when the child's mother brought the girl to her house she was shocked to see the baby had extensive bruising to her face and body.

"In her words the girl looked like she had been beaten around like a rag doll," said Ms Wright. The police and an ambulance were immediately called.

The hospital consultant who examined the child said the injuries were non-accidental.

The couple both admitted smoking heroin after the baby was put to bed.

The mother has previous convictions for shoplifting and her boyfriend for assault, burglary and theft.

Judge Trevor Barber remanded the boyfriend in custody and bailed the baby's mother. Both will be sentenced on Monday.