A FATHER-OF-TWO admitted biting and kicking his one-year-old baby and pushing his toddler to the floor.

The man, in his 30s, was reported by his own girlfriend, who is not the children’s mother, after she noticed a red bite mark on the baby’s shoulder. She took a picture of it and later shared it with the children’s family, raising her concerns.

Town magistrates have ordered the Swindon man to do 80 hours of unpaid work as part of an 18-month community order.

Prosecutor Nick Barr said the boys’ parents had split up. The pair lived mostly with their mum but, between sometimes stayed with their dad and his girlfriend.

On April 16, the baby was said to have been crying. His father shouted at him and was seen to press his face into the youngster’s left shoulder, causing him to wail more loudly.

Later, as his girlfriend was undressing the boys ready to bathe them she noticed a sore on the baby’s shoulder. She told police: “When I took his top off I could see a series of round red marks. I was so shocked I took two photographs on my mobile phone.”

When her boyfriend returned home she quizzed him on the marks, asking: “Tell me the truth. Did you bite him?” The man was said to have laughed nervously and claimed he had not.

A month later the father was once again getting frustrated with his baby, who was wanting to be cuddled. “Instead of comforting him, he pushed him to the floor,” said Mr Barr. He later pushed kicked the tot in the left side of his torso and pushed his older son to the floor.

Mark Glendenning, defending, said his client accepted that his behaviour went beyond rough play.

Attempting to explain the defendant’s behaviour, he added: “It’s effectively not being able to manage his emotions and not having the sufficient skills at this time to be a parent. He accepts that. It’s very easy to have a child, but they don’t come with instructions.”

He added that youngsters could be difficult to fit one’s previous life around: “All of a sudden you are responsible for young lives and they don’t necessarily do what you want to do.”

Sentencing him to an 18-month community order, Jane Durrant, chairman of the bench, said: “These offences are serious enough for us to make a community order.”

The case was one of dozens dealt with at Swindon Magistrates’ Court yesterday. For more, turn to our special report on pages eight and nine.