A 63-year-old man has been arrested after punching a newborn baby in the face in the middle of a Tesco supermarket in Manchester on Monday.

The man later claimed that he mistook the five-day-old child for a toy doll.

Baby Elsie Duckers was in her pram when a man approached after hearing family friends say: “Come and have a look at this beautiful baby.”

Elsie’s mother, Amy Duckers, looked on in horror as the man then struck her child, before backing away when the baby burst into tears.

The child was treated for approximately seven hours in the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester.

Mrs Duckers, 27, was shopping with the baby, her daughter Libby, seven, and partner Lewis Temple, 24, when the incident happened.

"My seven-year-old was there and saw everything, and she was just screaming. She thought he'd killed the baby. I don't want anyone to touch Elsie ever again. I literally can't get my head around why someone would do this," she told The Telegraph.

The family were shopping in the Tesco store when they spotted a neighbour who worked there. The neighbour then called over a friend who was shopping with her husband and that’s when the man allegedly struck the child.

"He left her with a huge red mark and we at first were just stunned. He then began denying anything had happened, despite the crying children and visible imprint on Elsie's face and I just went hysterical, asking what he just did, why he hurt my baby.” Mrs Ducker said.

Elsie was rushed to hospital at 9pm and left approximately seven hours later at around 4am. Fortunately, there was no serious injury and Elsie is now making a full recovery.

Greater Manchester Police said: "A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a baby. Police were called shortly before 6.45pm to a supermarket on Altrincham Road in Baguley on Monday to reports of a child having been hit.

"The baby girl was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been discharged. A 63-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assault and is currently in custody being questioned by officers."

Online Editors