Nursery Staff Shocked By Burn Horror Of Boy, 3

A three-year-old boy suffered a massive burn to his stomach after “sustained contact” against a red-hot radiator, a court heard. The youngster was left in agony after an incident at a flat in Milton, Glasgow, last November.

But Stephen Dunn – the man whose care he was left in – failed to get the injured child to hospital, Glasgow Sheriff Court was told. It was eight days later when the boy showed his nursery nurse the 41/2in burn that doctors were called.

Dunn, 27, was accused of assaulting the child by holding him against a radiator, placing his hand over his mouth and repeatedly hitting him to his severe injury. But prosecutors accepted his not guilty plea and he admitted neglecting the boy by not seeking medical help.

The court was told Dunn regularly looked after the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Last November, staff at the boy’s nursery noticed the youngster had been absent for a while. When he returned on November 20, he lifted his top to reveal a large burn on his stomach. Staff immediately called social workers and the boy was taken to hospital.

Aileen Thom, prosecuting, said she could not give exact details of how the injury occurred, but added: “It was caused by sustained contact with the radiator that was extremely hot. It would have caused him intense and constant pain for many days after.” Dunn was later questioned and he claimed his girlfriend had been told by a doctor just to put cream on the burn.

Fiscal Miss Thom said: “Putting cream on it would have been a wholly inadequate response. The child should have been seen by a GP or at hospital as soon as it happened.”

The boy had his burn treated and will not suffer any lasting damage. Dunn’s girlfriend was also charged with neglect, but her not guilty plea was accepted. Sentence was deferred until next month and Dunn was remanded in custody.