Man jailed for brutal attack on toddler

Glasgow Sheriff Court
Author: Lesley DiMascioPublished 18th Dec 2023

A man's been jailed for three years for who brutally assaulting a one-year-old girl. Jay Thomson, 30, subjected the toddler to an "extensive and prolonged” attack at a property in Glasgow’s Easterhouse in July 2022.

Thomson repeatedly covered the 22-month old girl’s face with a blanket after she did not stop crying.

He also held the girl's face down on a mattress and slapped her bottom which caused bruising and bleeding.

Thomson pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assaulting the toddler to her severe injury.

He also admitted assaulting a woman to her injury at the same location.

Sheriff Andrew Cubie branded Thomson a "coward" at a previous hearing.

The sheriff put Thomson under supervision for 12 months upon his release from custody.

A five-year non-harassment order was also granted.

The court heard that Thomson complained that the girl was being “too clingy” and to “snap out of the crying and whingeing.”

Prosecutor John Bedford said: “He held a blue blanket over her face to stop her crying.

“The woman tried to intervene. He told her to shut the f***up and sit down.

“She did so as she was terrified of Thomson.”

The woman later gave Thomson her bank card and was too scared to ask for it back.

Mr Bedford said: “Thomson slapped the girl to the side of her leg and thigh. The impact was such that a hand print was left.

Thomson went on to take further cash from the woman’s bank account.

She was unable to leave as she had no access to money and remained with Thomson for several days.

He continued to assault the child which included with the blanket over her face “for a couple of minutes” if she started crying.

Mr Bedford added: “He grabbed the child by the foot which caused bruises.”

The hearing was also told that Thomson later pinned the girl’s face to a mattress and held her by the back after she started crying.

Mr Bedford said: “He began to strike her on the bare buttocks with such force that she began to bleed.”

The woman recalled the girl being slapped “dead hard” and “screaming for her life” when the blanket was put over her face.

The woman was grabbed by the hair and punched on the face by Thomson.

He went on to use the woman’s Facebook to contact his mother for money for baby formula and wipes.

The woman managed to flee home and the girl was taken to hospital for treatment.

She was noted to have bruises to her forehead, thigh, leg, back and foot.

There was also “extensive bruising” to her buttocks as well as a possible bite mark.

Mr Bedford added: “A doctor said that the girl was subjected to an extensive and prolonged assault which would have caused her pain and distress during and afterwards.”

Lyndsey Barbour, defending, told the sentencing that her client does not recollect the incident.

The lawyer added: "He does accept doing this, he is absolutely not shying away from something."

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