A SWINDON man has pleaded guilty to a charge of child cruelty, having previously pleaded not guilty to this and other offences.

Kalvin Baker, aged 51, of 24 Chandler Close, Old Town, appeared before Wiltshire Magistrates sitting in Swindon charged with causing assault/ill treatment/neglect/abandonment of a child/young person to cause unnecessary suffering/injury.

It is alleged that on September 18, this year at Swindon, Baker, having responsibility for a child under the age of 16 years, caused or procured the child to be assaulted, ill treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause the child unnecessary suffering or injury to health contrary to section 1(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933

A further charge is that on September 18 this year at Swindon he assaulted Kerry Ann Lynock by beating her.

Baker is also charged with obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty on the same date, with criminal damage to a phone and exercise bike belonging to Kerry Lynock and with making two threats to kill nurse Sarah Dixon, also on the same date.

Representing Baker, Philip Hall said that his client now acknowledged his previous pleas of not guilty were misguided.

Mr Hall went on to say that there were too many underlying issues to be resolved by the court on Monday and he asked for an adjournment of the case so that a pre-sentence report could be prepared by the probation service.

The magistrates adjourned the case until 2pm on Tuesday, November 15 and asked that all options should be explored in the pre-sentence report including a prison sentence.

Chairman of the bench Geoff Earl told Baker that in the matter of the child cruelty charge the sentence was a minimum of 12 weeks in custody.

The magistrates granted conditional bail, the conditions of which included that Baker should have no contact with Kerry Lynock.