Young Denaby Child Had “Teeth-Marks” on Shoulder

May 1960

South Yorkshire times, March 5th, 1960

Young Denaby Child Had “Teeth-Marks” on Shoulder

A 20-years-old Denaby woman told Doncaster West Riding Magistrates last Thursday that she was prepared to leave her husband if she could have her 3-years-old boy back. The child was stated to be in the care of the local authority after the boy had been examined by an N.S.P.C.C. inspector and doctor who found several bruises on his face and legs and marks which looked like teeth mark on his left shoulder.

N.S.P.C.C. Inspector George Bartlett unsuccessfully applied for an order committing the child into the care of the local authority, but the magistrates made a supervision order of 12 months against the child’s step-father Kenneth Mansell (24), and Mother, Marjorie Mansell, (20), both of Barmboro’ Street, Denaby but formerly of Daylands Avenue, Conisbrough.

The N.S.P.C.C. Inspector said he saw the child at Conisbrough on February 2nd and found the boy had bruises on his face nose and legs and red imprints apparently of teeth-marks on his left shoulder. He alleged that when he asked the child about his injuries Mansell said “If you say anything I will give you some knuckle.”  Neither of the parents had called a doctor.

Dr R. W. L. Ward said when he was called by the Inspector to examine the child, he found the boy to be suffering from a number of bruises on the face and legs. He added “There was also a group of bruises over the left shoulder blade. They were parallel and gave me the impression of having been caused by teeth.”  Cross- examined by Mansell the doctor said that teeth-marks could have been caused by a 14 years old boy or a woman.

In the witness box Mansell said that on the evening February 1st his wife went to the cinema with his mother. About 7 o’clock he heard a bump, and a bit later there was another bump so he went to the bottom of the stairs and there found the child, whom he had earlier put to bed. He said he had not sent for a doctor as he did not consider it to be an emergency.  The boy, he said, had had a few bruises from falling off a see-saw. Mansell said that when he remarked about giving “some knuckle”, he was not talking to the child but his eldest sister.  The child must have fallen downstairs.

Mrs. Mansell told the bench, “I’ll separate from him to get my child back.”  She said they were now living in Denaby at her mother’s house.