by Annette Wilson

Two small boys were bruised and bitten and one suffered a fractured collar bone at the hands of a Margate couple who were supposed to be caring for them.

The pair were made to stand in a corner for up to 20 minutes with their hands on their heads, shouted and sworn at and by the time they were seen by doctors at Margate Hospital had multiple bruises on their faces and adult bite marks on their bodies. Even their penises showed signs of injury.

But Ricky Winter and Kristina Davies claimed the boys had injured themselves play fighting, throwing toys around and had bitten each other. They said the boys were boisterous and difficult to control.

Winter, 22, and Davies, 19, of Canterbury Road, Margate went on trial at Canterbury Crown Court on eight allegations of child cruelty.

Judge Simon James warned the pair to expect immediate custody. They were serious offences but he felt unable to pass sentence until he knew a lot more about the accused.

Prosecutor Eloise Marshall, told how neighbours living at Ethelbert Crescent heard Winter shouting and swearing at the boys and saw him making them stand in the corner with their hands on their heads.

When questioned about various bruises, the accused said the boys had hurt themselves falling out of bed and over a car seat or up some stairs. They were also told the children had thrown metal cars at each other and bitten each other while play fighting.

The older of the two had bruises to his face and under his chin, a series of bruises by his belly button, bruises on both ears, possibly caused by pinching, multiple small bruises to his arms and small bruises to his shoulder and back. There were bruises on both buttocks which included bite marks and bruises to his penis. The bites were adult bites.

The younger boy had a bruise to his face and eyelid, bruises to his chest and a fractured right collarbone which an expert said happened within two weeks of his examination in August last year. There was a strong possibility Davies had inflicted a bite on his left buttock.

Witnesses told the court during the trial that Winter had a reputation for biting people - a claim denied by Winter in evidence.

Both were convicted on all charges and bailed for reports prior to sentencing in September.