Stefan Toole 35

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A young girl was sexually assaulted and suffered almost 30 separate injuries after she was left with a pervert for a long weekend.

The child was brutally attacked and was covered in bruises when she was returned to her horrified mother.

The victim had wounds to her arms and legs, as well as her back, buttocks, face and head, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

There was also a bite injury which matched thug Stefan Tooles bite and finger pressure marks on the girls knees associated with a sexual assault.

Toole and his girlfriend, Shauna McEvoy-Byrne, had been allowed to look after the victim for a weekend in March 2015 but hoped to cover up her injuries by keeping her for longer, the court heard.

Toole, 22, of Deelands Road, Rubery , was jailed for four-and-a-half years having admitted child cruelty, assault and sexual assault.

McEvoy-Byrne, 20, of the same address, was convicted of child cruelty at trial.

She was handed a 26-week suspended sentence.

In a phone call, McEvoy-Byrne told the mum the girl had bruised her arm when she fell against a radiator.

But, when the handover took place, the mum said her daughter was in a dishevelled state and had a mark on her head.

Jennifer Josephs, prosecuting, said: She saw that her childs body was covered in bruises.

She was absolutely horrified and called the police.

Doctors found the girl had 29 sites of injury, the court heard.

Passing sentence, Judge Philip Parker said Toole received a police warning in 2008 after sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

It was deeply disturbing that he had committed a similar offence while in charge of a young girl, the judge said.

The judge said the injuries to the victim were consistent with being treated harshly and rough handling.

And he told McEvoy-Byrne: You were aware of those injuries and you hoped to cover them up by delaying the handover.

Charles Crinion, for Toole, said there was no evidence of any sadism and went on: The injuries were caused when he lost control of himself.

Sharon Bailey, for McEvoy-Byrne, said: He was somewhat dominating towards her.

She accepts she should have seen the obvious but didnt.

She closed her eyes to the obvious.

She did not want to accept that Toole could behave in such a way.