JORDAN THOMAS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR CHILD ABUSE IN TEESSIDE

A 27-year-old man named Jordan Thomas, with a history of 17 convictions for 46 offences including robbery and firearm possession, has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison after assaulting a young child. The incident was witnessed and reported by a compassionate woman who, upon hearing the child’s cries and Thomas’s violent threats—such as threatening to bite off their nose—contacted police repeatedly. Although police initially failed to respond, they questioned Thomas the following day.

The child was later examined at the University Hospital of North Tees and found to have suffered multiple bruises across various parts of the body, injuries described by the paediatrician as non-accidental. Thomas appeared via video link from Durham jail during the court hearing.

It was revealed that Thomas, who resides on Tower Street in Hartlepool, struggles with mental health issues and accumulated a drug debt of approximately £2,000 due to crack cocaine use, which replaced his prescribed medication. He admitted to physically assaulting the child and his former partner, breaching a non-molestation order twice—once by attacking her at her home and choking her, and another time by approaching her car in traffic and shouting abuse.

During sentencing, defence lawyer Paul Newcombe highlighted that Thomas would be placed in the prison protection wing to prevent other inmates from retaliating upon discovering his attack on the child. The court was also informed of his status as a suicide risk.

Judge Tim Stead emphasized the vulnerability of the child, stating, “The child would have been extremely vulnerable because they would not have understood why it was happening to them and would have been unable to protect itself.” As part of his sentence, Thomas was also issued a seven-year restraining order preventing him from living or sleeping in any residence where a child under the age of 16 resides.