Man gets 9 months' jail after hitting, throwing pillow at baby daughter whose crying angered him

A man, aged 35, was sentenced to nine months in jail after abusing his two daughters, aged five months and one year, by hitting, slapping, and throwing pillows at them. The abuse occurred after the father, who worked at home, became angry due to his infant daughter's crying.

The father shone a torchlight into the baby's face, shouted at her, and threw a pillow at her. When the baby continued to cry, the father turned her onto her side and slapped her buttocks nine times. About five months later, he abused the older daughter in a similar manner after becoming angry at her crying once again.

In total, seven other similar charges were taken into account for sentencing. The man pleaded guilty to two counts of ill-treating a child. Some of the abuse was captured on a motion-activated camera in the study where the baby's cot was located.

The man's lawyers stated that he had been under stress at work and frequently argued with his then-wife over the discipline of their children. They also noted that the man suffers from major depressive disorder, which was a minor to moderate contributing factor to his offenses. The man was not seen with his daughters for more than 18 months, as they remained in their mother's care following the couple's divorce in December 2025.