Plymouth baby cruelty case dad Christopher Sheldon tells of his 'hell'

A FATHER accused of assaulting his baby has told a jury he has suffered more than two years of hell since the boy's injuries were discovered.

Christopher Sheldon, 32, denied he had lied to the court to avoid blame for ill-treating Ethan in the first four months of his life.

He told Plymouth Crown Court that only his estranged wife Charlotte could have caused the broken bones and bruises found after a routine call by a health visitor.

Both are on trial on two charges of child cruelty.

The jury has been told that Ethan suffered three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a fractured ankle and a broken big toe. He also had bruising on his back, his legs and his arms.

Christopher Sheldon, under cross-examination, repeatedly denied causing injuries to Ethan, saying he only noticed some bruising to the baby the day before the health visitor raised the alarm in October 2010.

He said he accepted the injuries had been caused deliberately and the only person who could have done that was his 24-year-old wife.

Sheldon said he was in "disarray" in the months after the injuries were discovered and "did not know what to think."

Sheldon later added: "It was such a shock. It has been two years and four months of hell."

Christopher Sheldon, of Bridgetown, Totnes, and Charlotte Sheldon, of Sefton Avenue, each deny two charges of child cruelty between April and October 2010. The trial continues.