Burton Mail

Mum covered for violent boyfriend who attacked her five-year-old son

- By HELEN KREFT helen.kreft@reachplc.com

A VIOLENT boyfriend attacked his partner’s five-year-old boy - while the mother watched on before later covering for him, a court had heard.

Brett Steele, 32, of Midland Road, Swadlincot­e, carried out the “sustained and violent” assault on the child causing 19 injuries to his head and neck by hitting him when the boy would not settle at night and kept getting up asking for a drink.

Mum Bethany Pitt, 29, of Swadlincot­e Road, Woodville, witnessed the brutal attack, along with other children and her friend. However Pitt failed to report the incident to the boy’s school or social services and told her friend not to report it either despite her pleas.

However, the friend did report the incident, which happened on January 24 last year. Steele and Pitt were charged with child cruelty and went on to plead guilty to the offence in court.

On Wednesday, they appeared at Derby Crown Court to be sentenced. Recorder Andrew Smith QC told them: “There is no justificat­ion for the sustained and violent assault that you [Steele] carried out.

“He was five years old. He was deserving of your care and attention and instead, in temper, you hit him time after time causing substantia­l bruising and real emotional distress.

“You [Pitt] knew better yet you traded that instinct that every parent would have to prioritise your approach to your partner and this assault happened in front of your children.

“It is only after others had the strength and courage to report it that you began to reveal what really happened but you continued to try to justify what your partner had so criminally done.”

The family was at home with a friend with Steele playing on an Xbox upstairs when the incident happened, the court was told. The child had been put to bed but kept coming to ask for a drink and would not settle.

Prosecutor Siward James-moore told the court: “He [Steele] then came downstairs and grabbed the child and starting, as their friend put it, laying into him, whacking him, shouting at him that he had to stop getting up every night.

“The other children were watching. They were crying, concerned for their brother.” The court heard the little boy later “cried himself to sleep”. Pitt told her friend that Steele had gone “too far”.

The next day Pitt told another friend what had happened after the child did not attend school. The friend urged her to call social services but Pitt told her she would sort it. She said she had told him not to do it again and he had apologised, the court heard.

The friend later called social services herself after Pitt still had not reported the incident.

Mr James-moore said: “There were 19 significan­t findings including extensive bruising to his jaw, the right side of his face, his neck and his armpit.”

He added: “[Pitt] did nothing to protect him. She said she would sort it out but had her friends not intervened, he would have remained in the house.”

The children later went to live with their father who, in a victim impact statement, noted the child was not his usual self and flinched when hugged. He said the other children were also scared and withdrawn.

Both defendants have no previous conviction­s.

Stefan Fox, defending Steele, told the court that he worked full time as a welder and volunteere­d in a charity shop. He said: “He does not justify what he did and is truly sorry.

“Probation says he is low risk of offending. He is a young man and is well thought of by people he comes into contact with.”

Philip Bown, for Pitt, said her poor upbringing led to her being vulnerable to manipulati­on and “giving too much weight to what her partner was saying”.

He added she was genuinely frightened as to what he would do to himself so she provided a cover story.

He added: “Her mothering skills have never been called into question before.

“She is deeply remorseful. This incident was the wake-up call that she needed and is grasping that wake up call with both hands.”

Steele was given 10-month prison sentence which was suspended for 18 months and will have to complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilita­tion.

Pitt was handed a nine-month jailed sentence also suspended for 18 months and will complete 25 days of rehabilita­tion activity.

You continued to try to justify what your partner had so criminally done.

Recorder Andrew Smith QC

 ?? ?? The case was heard at Derby Crown Court
The case was heard at Derby Crown Court

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