A man who allegedly left bite marks on an eight-year-old boy tried to cover up the incident when he begged the child to lie to his mother and claim that he was bitten by a dog.
The suspect was identified as Thomas Cockings who was slapped with a 15-month jail sentence at the Swansea Crown Court after reportedly leaving a mark on the minor’s chest.
It was reportedly the mother who first noticed the bite marks on the eight-year-old child in the summer of 2021.
The child at the time told his mother that he had been bitten by a dog. However, the mom spotted another one, this time in the chest with what appeared to be a human bite.
The boy would say that the bruising was from a hit by a ball. Regardless, the mom felt it was serious and called non-emergency 101 to seek medical attention for fear of possible infection.
She brought her son to the Morriston Hospital A&E unit. It was at this point that the child admitted that he was bitten by the 29-year-old accused, the Mirror reported.
When he was arrested, Cockings told officers that a dog had nipped the boy in the arm and denied causing the injury to the chest, prosecutor Ieuan Rees said.
However, Cockings agreed to have a dental impression made on his teeth. This along with enhanced photos of the bite marks on the boy’s chest were sent to an expert for comparison.
Initially, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm. Despite efforts to express his desire to vacate the plea, Cockings stood by his claim.
It was also added that Cockings had a form of focal epilepsy and suffered mental health issues since he was a child according to his representative, John Allchurch.
Judge Paul Thomas QC called the seizure story a "false account" of what happened and a "pathetic attempt to avoid responsibility."
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