The father of a young girl who suffered severe head injuries after being thrown into a crib has been jailed for just three years.
Little Maisie Newell was just four weeks old back in August 2000 when her father, 46-year-old Dean Smith, threw her into a crib because he didn’t want to deal with a “screaming baby.”
After dropping the baby from six feet high, Smith reportedly proceeded to smoke, drink, and play video games on a PlayStation device.
It wasn’t until the baby girl’s mother arrived back home that concerns were raised. While Maisie was eventually taken to a hospital, her parents decided to lie about her injuries and blame them on another child.
Once the truth came out, Smith pleaded guilty to causing grievous injury and was sentenced to three years in prison. Meanwhile, Maisie, who suffered permanent disabilities during the fall, was adopted by Tracey Newell.
Sadly, the young girl died in 2014 just days before her 14th birthday.
After her death, Smith was once again arrested only to be bailed and to see the case against him dropped in 2016.
Five years after Maisie’s death, however, Smith was once again arrested and charged with murder.
In the court, the man called himself a “lowlife scumbag” and admitted to throwing his baby because he was “on edge” and she kept on “screaming.”
“I think I’m a lowlife scumbag. I cannot believe I did it. I’m disgusted in myself. I wish it was me, not her,” he said.
Though the 46-year-old was acquitted of his daughter’s murder, he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter.
“Maisie always had the ability to draw people to her, she was like sunshine, radiant and bright,” Tracey Newell, Maisie’s adoptive mother, said in her victim statement.
“Whilst her body was so damaged, her soul remained intact.”
She added: “We adopted her aged 20 months after she sustained unspeakable injuries as a tiny innocent baby. It was clear from the start the consequences of her injuries would be profound, life-long and life-limiting.
“She could never escape the consequences of what had happened to her. The damage to her brain was catastrophic, irreversible and life-changing. Her life was a struggle, dominated by the disabilities she had as a consequence of the assault she sustained.
“Maisie fought a very brave battle and she remained brave even during her final weeks. She should have had a safe, happy childhood. The world should have been her oyster, but instead she was robbed of all those opportunities.”
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