UK man found guilty of putting baby girl in tumble dryer

The man has been found guilty after putting a 13-month-old in a tumble dryer and striking her head.
The man has been found guilty after putting a 13-month-old in a tumble dryer and striking her head. Photo credit: Facebook.

A UK man has been found guilty for assaulting a toddler, striking her on the head and putting her in a tumble dryer.

Thomas Dunn, 25, committed the assaults between December 2017 and January 2018. The toddler's mother, who cannot be identified, asked her then-friend to look after the 13-month-old on a handful of occasions at his flat in Arbroath, Scotland. 

Over Dunn's five-day trial he claimed he only "assisted" the toddler, saying he had not "squashed" or "pushed" the girl into the tumble dryer, BBC reports.

Giving evidence in his defence, Dunn said the girl had climbed in herself and he had only "tucked her leg in". He claimed he didn't close the door fully or intentionally activate the tumble dryer.

It was found that Dunn had also repeatedly hit the girl on the head and body, causing severe injuries.

When the toddler appeared unresponsive following the assault, Dunn took her to the hospital. Doctors later discovered fractures to her skull, bruises and a bite mark, the Daily Mail reports.

A jury found Dunn guilty of endangering the child's life after a five-day trial at Dundee Sheriff Court for the physical assault.

On a separate charge Dunn was also found guilty of culpable and reckless conduct for putting the toddler in the tumble dryer, BBC reports.

The man reportedly appeared indifferent to the toddler's suffering, calling the tumble dryer incident "a bad judgement call".

The toddler's mother reportedly found Dunn to be emotionless regarding the abuse, and maintains her argument that her child was not strong enough to climb into the machine herself.

Newshub.