'Monstrous' couple left newborn baby disabled before making chilling Google searches

A "monstrous" couple left a newborn baby seriously disabled before searching "can I get done for abusing" a child.

Tom Kember, 27, and Katherine Reilly, 25, left the tot with injuries similar to those caused in a high-speed traffic collision or a fall from a one-storey height, a court heard. Kember also searched online for "what happend aif u (sic) hit a baby's face" and "can a baby be sick if it gets hit."

The baby girl was born prematurely in 2019. Just 10 days after being discharged from hospital, on January 14 2020, an ambulance was called to an address in Taunton in Somerset as she was unresponsive.

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Ambulance staff noted bruising on her temples and raised their concerns with staff at Musgrove Park Hospital, the Mirror reports. The court heard that Kember and Reilly left the hospital while the baby was still being treated and started packing up her things.

A jury was told that on January 12, 2020, Kember had searched online for "what happend aif u (sic) hit a baby's face" and "can a baby be sick if it gets hit". At 10.45pm the next day, while at a fast-food restaurant with Reilly and the baby, Kember searched online for terms such as "if baby hits its head does the baby sleep a lot". It was not until about 1.20am on January 14 that Kember called 111.

At 6.10am that day, Kember searched for "can I get dosent for abiseing (sic) ... baby" - the prosecution's case being that this was a mistyped search for "can I get done for abusing baby." The jury was told that on January 12, 2020, Kember searched online for "what happend aif u (sic) hit a baby's face" and "can a baby be sick if it gets hit".

Kember was found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and Reilly of child cruelty at Bristol Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday). Judge Julian Lambert described it in court as a "monstrous act". Kember has been remanded in custody while Reilly was bailed ahead of sentencing, which is currently scheduled for January 24 of next year.

The child, now four, has been adopted by foster parents, who have been caring for her since she was four months old and in hospital. The traumatic brain injury has left her non-verbal, with significant visual impairment, multiple daily seizures and other complex needs.

Detective Chief Inspector Roger Doxsey, who led the investigation, said: "This has been a distressing case for all involved. A helpless baby has been abused by adults who were more concerned with avoiding the consequences of their actions than with seeking medical help for her.

"It is tragic to reflect that having been born at 31 weeks she was readmitted to hospital with these terrible injuries before her due date. I would like to pay tribute to the medical staff who helped to ensure this little girl's remarkable survival, and the family who are now providing her with such love and care."