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A former footballer has been convicted of an attack on a two-year-old girl, which left her with life-changing brain injuries that require 24-hour care.
Kiernan Hughes-Mason inflicted injuries doctor’s likened to those caused by a high-speed road traffic accident on the toddler during an assault in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, in January 2020.
The 32-year-old, who played for EFL sides Millwall and Grimsby Town, as well as a string of non-league clubs including Welling United, Hashtag United and Leatherhead, was found guilty of child cruelty and grievous bodily harm following a three-week trial at Basildon Crown Court.
Emergency services had attended the scene in January 2020 after Hughes-Mason called 999 while he was supposed to be looking after his then-partner’s young daughter.
He claimed that he heard a loud bang from upstairs, which he believed was the child falling onto a dollhouse, and that she was unresponsive but conscious.
The child was immediately rushed to Southend General Hospital, but her injuries were deemed so severe that she was induced into a coma and transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for further treatment.
Prosecutors said doctors had gone on to describe the child’s injuries as comparable to those sustained in a high-speed road traffic accident or a fall from a height of several storeys.
The girl suffered life-changing brain injuries, along with 17 different injuries to her legs, back, face, and chest – all of which were believed to have been inflicted between October 2019 and the day she was taken into hospital. She now requires round-the-clock care.
The three year-long investigation into the attack required the collection of over a dozen statements and reports from eight medical practitioners and experts, along with the seizure of Hughes-Mason’s phone.
Messages found on the device revealed Hughes-Mason described how his now ex-partner’s two-year-old daughter made him angry, saying “she’s actually getting on my nerves” and “I’m gonna hit her”.
The prosecution barrister condemned the former footballer’s actions in a closing statement during his trial, saying: “Hughes-Mason was keen from the outset to portray himself to the police as the doting stepfather who treated the children as his own, saying how much he loved them.
“Yet in his text messages written at the time, he constantly referred to them as ‘your children,’ or ‘your child’ to the child’s mother. He regularly belittled them, talked about them as if they were stupid and put them down.
“In respect of the head and brain injury that the child suffered… the experts all agree that the pattern of injuries found is consistent with the child having been vigorously shaken… with her head likely being hit against a hard surface.”
The child’s family said in a statement: “We finally have a verdict and that man is now held accountable for what he did to our little girl.
“We have had to go through what no family should ever have to experience, and our girl is going to bear the consequences of what he has done to her for the rest of her life”.
Hughes-Mason had a 15-year career in football and was on the books of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player. He had been serving as manager of Enfield Borough in the tenth tier of English football, until he was immediately sacked following his conviction on Wednesday.
Enfield Borough FC chairman Marvin Walker said: “Our club was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Kiernan Hughes-Mason's conviction for child cruelty.
“We had no prior knowledge of the pending case, which dates back to 2020. Upon discovering the news through media outlets yesterday, we immediately removed Kiernan from his position as first team manager.
“We unequivocally condemn this behaviour and stand firmly against any form of abuse or cruelty. Our thoughts are with the victim and her family during this incredibly difficult time."
Hughes-Mason is due to be sentenced on 10 September at Basildon Crown Court.
