Permanent brain damage

Two-year-old beaten up! Ex-footballer convicted

Kiernan Hughes-Mason (top left) has been found guilty of child abuse and grievous bodily harm.(Bild: GEPA pictures, facebook.com/TasmanUnited)

Former professional footballer Kiernan Hughes-Mason has been found guilty of child abuse and grievous bodily harm. The 32-year-old is alleged to have beaten up his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter. Since then, the girl has suffered from a permanent brain injury.

"We finally have a verdict and this man will now be held accountable for what he did to our little girl," said the victim's family with relief. Shortly beforehand, Hughes-Mason was unanimously found guilty by the court. The exact verdict will be handed down on September 10. 

The former footballer is alleged to have beaten up his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter on 31 January 2020 when he was home alone with her. He then called the emergency services and explained that he had only heard a loud bang and that the child had apparently fallen. 

Brutal abuse and permanent damage
However, doubts soon arose about his version of events. The two-year-old's condition was extremely critical and she had to be placed in an induced coma for two weeks. The doctors discovered 17 different injuries to her legs, back, face and chest, which had probably occurred over a long period of time. 

Our girl will carry the consequences of what he did to her for the rest of her life.

Statement der Familie des Opfers

The child survived, but suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the abuse. On February 14, 2020, Hughes-Mason was arrested by police and charges were filed. During the trial, a doctor reportedly compared the child's injuries to those that would result from a "fall from a great height". 

Did he announce his crime?
A few days before the crime, the Englishman is also said to have sent messages in which he complained about the two-year-old and announced that he would beat her. "We had to go through something that no family should ever have to go through and our girl will carry the consequences of what he did to her for the rest of her life," the child's family said in a statement. 

Hughes-Mason played for Tottenham and Arsenal, among others, in his youth. Later in his professional career, he played for several lower-class English teams. Most recently, he tried his hand at coaching. He has since been sacked.