Suspended Sentence For Dropping Baby
A father who dropped his seven-month old son out of a second-storey window has received a suspended prison sentence.
This afternoon Anthony Davis was sentenced to nine months in prison — however it was suspended for two years — for injuring his son having previously admitting a charge related to it at a previous hearing.
Davis, who appeared very emotional, in Court as he spoke, claiming he had deep regret and remorse for his actions.
“I won’t let this define me, although this is a defining moment in my life,” he said.
“My actions on that day are unconscionable; the culmination of unresolved issues.
“I do not believe myself to be an evil man. Those who have seen me with my children know how loving and devoted I am to them.
“The thought of me trying to harm the one child that lives here is unfathomable to me, but it happened and I stand here before you.”
Davis thanked his friends and family, and also the child’s mother and her family, for their support.
Referring specifically to his son he added: “I pray that society is not cruel to him and above all I pray that he will forgive me.”
The Supreme Court heard that the incident happened on July 2, last year – the day of the child’s baptism.
Davis had drunk excessively during the celebrations and accompanied the mother and the couple’s son to a Devonshire home.
However the court heard that once they arrived, an argument erupted and Davis picked up his son.
Prosecutor Cindy Clarke said: “The defendant was unsteady on his feet. The complainant pleaded with the defendant to hand over the victim but the defendant refused.
“The complainant’s brother tried to help but the defendant became more agitated and went into the back bedroom with the victim.”
The court heard that the baby landed on a piece of grass outside the property, while Davis also went out of the window.
Both were taken to hospital where they remained for several days.
The baby suffered a minor concussion as a result of the fall but has since made a good recovery.
Davis’s lawyer, Elizabeth Christopher, said that Davis took full responsibility for his actions.
In her victim impact statement, the child’s mother said that her son was a “remarkable” child.
She also described the devastating effect the incident had had in her family, and that she had received therapy after the incident, and suggested Davis be spared an immediate prison sentence.
Passing down the suspended prison sentence, which also includes two years probation, Puisne Judge Charles Etta Simmons said: “You took the baby and dropped him, shocking as that was.
“The mother is more forgiving than anyone could possibly be. You did not intend serious harm, nor were you actions premeditated but there seems to have been a lack of emotional control.
“The degree of harm is low on the scale of possibilities, but this baby was entirely vulnerable.”
Read More About
Category: All, Court Reports, Crime, News
