Coventry Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting 2-Year-Old Girl

A 33-year-old man from Coventry has pleaded guilty to physically assaulting a two-year-old girl. Paul Hemmings, who resides on Long Close Avenue in Allesley, admitted to causing actual bodily harm by striking the child with a single blow on April 10. The injury was not immediately visible, as it was only discovered after the girl was examined at George Eliot Hospital the following day. The court heard that Hemmings was in a relationship with the child's mother at the time; she had left the premises around 7pm that evening and reported no injuries to her daughter at that time. However, doctors identified a red mark on the girl's face as a result of a slap, which Hemmings later acknowledged was caused by him. Hemmings has a prior conviction from January 2000 for a similar offence against a child and was sentenced to a two-year probation order. He has been released on conditional bail and is scheduled to reappear before the magistrates on July 16 for further reports.