A Palmerston North man has been jailed for more than four years for breaking the leg of his then-girlfriend's 15-month-old son.
He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on the eve of his trial last year, and in Palmerston North District Court yesterday, Brook Jonathan Trye, 25, was sentenced to four years and two months' jail.
The assault happened in July 2009, when Trye was trying to dress the boy when his mother - Trye's then-partner - heard him screaming, the Manawatu Standard reported.
Trye - who has been diagnosed with an immature personality disorder - had changed his story about how the injury happened; first saying the toddler's leg got caught in the cot's bars and then that he was carrying the boy when he tripped over a cord and fell on him.
Medical examinations found the broken thigh was likely caused by either a strong blow or twisting the leg until it cracked, in a "despicable" act, Judge Gerard Lynch said.
"An infant's wellbeing is in the hand of his or her carer. [The boy's] mother placed her absolute trust in you," Judge Lynch said.
NZN