SAMUEL ROBBINS FROM LEAMINGTON AND WARWICK SENTENCED FOR CRUELTY AND ROBBERY IN WARWICK

In a recent court hearing at Warwick Crown Court, the family of a young baby who suffered severe injuries after an assault by Samuel Robbins expressed their outrage over the leniency of his sentencing. Robbins, aged 21 and residing in Fallow Hill, Leamington, was convicted of multiple charges, including child cruelty, assault, and robbery, following a trial that concluded last month.

The court sentenced Robbins to a total of two and a half years in prison. Notably, the sentence for the child cruelty charge was six months, which was to be served consecutively alongside sentences for the other offenses. However, the family, including the baby’s great grandfather and legal guardian—whose identity remains protected—was deeply dissatisfied with the punishment. He stated, “With good behaviour that comes to three months which for me means he has got away with it. It’s an abysmal sentence – he probably would have gotten more if he had kicked a dog.” The family has endured significant distress over the past three years due to this incident, and they feel the punishment does not reflect the severity of the crime.

Robbins had initially denied the charge of child cruelty but was found guilty by a jury after a trial held last month. In addition to the child cruelty conviction, Robbins pleaded guilty to a separate assault charge and was also convicted of robbery in an earlier trial. He was in the dock alongside his brother, Reece Robbins, aged 20, also of Fallow Hill, and Ashley Owen, aged 21, from St Albans. Both Reece Robbins and Owen received prison sentences for their roles in the robbery, which involved violence and theft.

Furthermore, two other individuals, Jamie Debney, aged 22, of Willes Road, Leamington, and Craig Herlihy, aged 20, of Tachbrook Road, Leamington, received six-month jail sentences, suspended for 12 months, after admitting to assault charges.

The incident involving the baby occurred in May 2010, when Robbins was caring for a six-month-old child in Warwick while the child's mother was out. Prosecutor Matthew Barnes detailed that Robbins assaulted the infant in a fit of temper, resulting in distressing facial injuries, including severe bruising on both cheeks and a torn upper frenulum—the membrane connecting the upper lip to the gum. The injuries came to light when Robbins called emergency services, claiming the baby was bleeding from his mouth, was unresponsive, and had rolling eyes. Robbins initially told responders that he had been asleep with the child and had accidentally hit him in the face, but he was reluctant to take the baby to hospital.

When the child was finally taken to a medical facility, a consultant paediatrician examined him and was later informed of Robbins’ explanation. The doctor’s assessment indicated that the injuries were unlikely to have been caused by an accidental fall or blow, especially given the bilateral bruising and absence of nasal injury. The court was shown photographs of the injuries, which the judge described as “distressing.”

Further charges arose when, in March 2011, Robbins, while on bail, along with Debney and Herlihy, was involved in an assault on a young man at an address in Leamington. The assault was reportedly in retaliation for the victim having allegedly sexually assaulted a girl known to one of the assailants. Additionally, in April 2011, Robbins, his brother Reece, and Ashley Owen carried out a robbery against Christopher Howes in a secluded alleyway, during which they kicked and punched him and stole £150 from his wallet.

Recorder Marcus Tregilgas-Davey described the child cruelty as an “isolated incident” but emphasized the gravity of the injuries and Robbins’ failure to accept responsibility. He remarked, “The photographs are distressing. The baby was defenceless in your sole charge and you did not have the sense of duty or moral conviction to plead guilty.” The sentences reflect a series of serious offenses, but the family remains disillusioned with the justice served, feeling that Robbins received a lenient punishment for such a heinous act.