Steven Silkstone: Toddler left with brain damage & 'robbed' of life they should have had after attack

The severity of the injuries caused by Steven Silkstone are such that the child he attacked has been left with spastic quadriplegia, a severe form of cerebral palsy that affects all four of the child’s limbs.

During Silkstone’s sentencing hearing, Sheffield Crown Court heard how this means the child cannot walk - will never be able to - cannot sit or stand independently, and has to be hoisted for all activities.

Silkstone is believed to have assaulted the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons and referred to as ‘A’, during a period of less than half an hour when he was alone with A.

Jailing Silkstone during a sentencing hearing held last month, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said: “In circumstances only you know Silkstone you assaulted A with intent to cause A really serious harm.

“I have no doubt that A was shaken and also suffered an impact to the head. It must be borne in mind that unlike many other tragic cases before this court, A was not a small baby with little or no head control; A was two years of age; as a matter of common sense the forces involved in the violence were considerable.”

Silkstone, formerly of Beckworth Road, East Herringthorpe, Rotherham, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm, relating to the assault, at the conclusion of a trial at the same court.

He went on trial with, and was sentenced alongside, a second defendant, defendant two, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Both Silkstone and defendant two were convicted of cruelty to a child.

Defendant two was also convicted of other offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, relating to an earlier incident in which defendant two bit the child on the thigh.

The child also suffered a number of other injuries inflicted during earlier incidents, including swelling, a badly bruised face and black eye.

Mr Justice Cotter said he believed it was ‘probable’ that Silkstone was responsible for ‘all or some of the injuries on these earlier occasions’. He acknowledged, however, that determining Silkstone’s involvement in the earlier assaults had been made more complicated by the assault involving defendant two biting the child.

Mr Justice Cotter said the impact of the child’s injuries amounts to ‘a life sentence of severe disability and complex needs’.

“There will not be many cases with more serious injury and the effects suffered for virtually the whole of a life. [A] came very close to death and has lost much semblance of a normal life,” Mr Justice Cotter said.

The court heard how A is incontinent, is susceptible to pressure sores and requires adult support for all daily living activities.

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In statements submitted to court, members of A’s family have described how prior to the assault, A was a ‘beautiful’ child who lit up any room, was ‘into everything and had boundless energy’.

The child was happy, playful and loved to have a dance, members of their family have said.

The court heard how feeding difficulties are among the child’s complex needs, and means they ar, in part, fed through a tube.

This means the child is prone to choking, lung infection and malnutrition.

In addition, the child has also been left with severe visual problems and learning difficulties, has very limited language skills, and can only manage a sentence of up to three words. The child therefore communicates by smiling, crying and gesturing, the court heard.

The court heard how the injuries the child suffered include: multicompartmental; intracranial subdural haemorrhages; spinal subdural haemorrhages; hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage; bilateral, multiple retinal haemorrhages and multiple bruising to the scalp both sides of the face, upper chest, and both thighs, with the pattern of the bruising to the right thigh considered to be a human bite mark.

Detailing the medical evidence heard during the trial of Silkstone and defendant two, Mr Justice Cotter continued: “Dr Khandanpour said that the most likely mechanism of trauma explaining such a combination of injuries was severe ‘to and fro’ shaking although shaken baby injuries usually occur in children younger than two years old.

“There has also been most probably trauma from a blunt object to the left side of the skull. “The severity of the cerebral damage was within the spectrum of the most severe type of head injuries and the assault caused brain damage which has left A very severely disabled...the effects are permanent and devastating.”

Mr Justice Cotter said the child has consequently been ‘robbed of the life they should have enjoyed’.

Detailing the mitigating factors present in the case of both defendants, Mr Justice Cotter noted that the defendants were both in their early 20s when they committed the offences a number of years ago, and there has been a ‘considerable delay’ in the case reaching court.

He noted, however, that Silkstone was under the influence of cannabis when he subjected A to the grievous bodily harm, which he said must be regarded as an aggravating factor.

“Smoking cannabis was the real focus of your life; with no real employment since you left education. You could not even remember what you were studying at college,” Mr Justice Cotter told Silkstone.

Mr Justice Cotter jailed Silkstone for 15 years, and sentenced defendant two to eight years’ imprisonment.

Speaking to The Star, Detective Sergeant Peter Hodgson, the officer in charge of the case, said: "This is one of the most upsetting cases I have come across in my 34 years of policing.

"We worked extremely hard to bring the defendants before the court, with our investigation comprising of 85 statements in total.

"This included six medical experts who gave evidence during the eight-week trial.

"I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to those closest to the young victim who stood up in court to offer evidence and support our case. I hope the sentences handed to the defendants will go some way to providing a sense of justice."