This is the face of twisted dad Ryan Briston, who subjected his newborn son to repeated attacks as the ‘red mist’ descended.
The 27-year-old eventually confessed to handling the boy ‘roughly’, claiming that he’d been stressed and working night shifts at a local hotel.
Doctors who examined the boy when he was brought into the John Radcliffe Hospital in August 2020 after being discovered unresponsive and ‘blue’ found he had five fractures and a sixth suspected fracture.
And the injuries, which were sustained at different times, were consistent with the baby having been ‘shaken or swung’, doctors said.
READ MORE: Jail for dad who assaulted his own son
Summarising the offending, Judge Ian Pringle QC described Briston as a ‘wholly inadequate father [who] lost his temper as the red mist came down’. He added: “It wasn’t a deliberate, calculated programme of deliberate inflicting of injuries.”
Briston initially denied any wrongdoing, leading to suspicion also falling on his innocent partner. The baby and her older daughter were both taken from her care – and it was nine months before the children were returned to her.
She told Oxford Crown Court in a victim personal statement last week: “I cannot begin to explain how heart-breaking it was to see my children once a week for an hour…not even being able to kiss them goodbye due to the covid restrictions.”
Briston, now of Milton Common, Thame, but living in Stanford-in-the-Vale when the assaults were committed, pleaded guilty to child neglect. He was jailed for 28 months.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward