Man jailed for putting 13-month-old girl in tumble dryer Published duration 9 September 2019

image caption Thomas Dunn told his trial he had made a "bad judgement call"

A man who put a 13-month-old girl in a tumble dryer has been jailed for seven years.

Thomas Dunn claimed he had only "assisted" the toddler, saying the child had been climbing into the machine herself.

Dunn, 25, said he did not fully close the machine door on the child, but the dryer activated and started rotating.

He was previously found guilty of culpable and reckless conduct following a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Dunn, of Hamilton, was convicted of placing the child in the dryer and closing the door, causing the machine to activate, in Arbroath in 2017.

He was also found guilty of causing fractures to the child's skull during an assault.

Prison 'inevitable'

Dundee Sheriff Alistair Brown told Dunn that he could only impose a five year sentence on him and remitted the case to the High Court.

Judge Lord Brodie sentenced Dunn to seven years imprisonment and three years supervision following his release, at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Defence advocate Niall McCluskey said: "He suffers from depression and mental health problems.

"He also accepts that the imposition of a prison sentence is inevitable."

'Bad judgement call'

During the trial, Dunn claimed he had not "pushed" or "squashed" the baby into the machine but had "tucked her leg into it" after she had climbed in herself.

He said: "She was already climbing into it and I tucked her leg in. I closed the door but not fully, it wasn't like properly shut."

Prosecutor Nicola Gillespie asked Dunn: "Why on earth did you do that, assist, tuck, whatever you want to call it, that child into a tumble dryer?"

He replied: "I don't know, it was a bad judgement call."

Related Topics Arbroath

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