Parents jailed for cruelty to daughter

A couple were jailed for a total of 22 years today after inflicting cruelty on their four-year-old disabled daughter that left…

A couple were jailed for a total of 22 years today after inflicting cruelty on their four-year-old disabled daughter that left her with horrific injuries, according to police.

Kimberly Harte was jailed for eleven-and-a-half years at London's Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court, while her partner Samuel Duncan was given ten-and-a-half years.

Detective Sergeant Antony Smith, of the child abuse investigation unit, said after the case that it had been a "harrowing" investigation but "of course, far worse for the girl".

Her injuries, inflicted during February and March last year, were "quite appalling and horrific", he said.

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Smith described the youngster as "young and fragile" when he interviewed her at hospital.

"She is doing a lot better now, and is being well cared for," he added.

Harte (23) and Duncan (27) from Maida Vale, west London, admitted three charges each of acts of cruelty to a child or young person. They were subsequently found guilty of grevious bodily harm with intent.

The girl, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was left in excruciating pain during a catalogue of "revolting cruelty", which had escaped the notice of social services, media reports said.

The abuse included being forced to sleep naked in a locked toilet andhaving clumps of hair ripped from her head. She was kicked in the groin repeatedly and had scalding water poured over her hands, the reports said.

The prosecution was reported to have said she had been forced to eat her own faeces.