Mother who broke baby's legs is freed

(First Edition)

A MOTHER jailed for four years for breaking her newborn baby's legs was freed yesterday when the Court of Appeal ruled that her sentence was 'excessive'.

Lisa Piper, 22, who is pregnant with her third child, was jailed at Hove Crown Court, East Sussex, in August after admitting two charges of causing grievous harm to her daughter, Kylie.

Allowing her appeal, Lord Justice Waite, sitting with Mr Justice Hidden and Mr Justice Harrison, quashed the sentence and put her on probation for three years.

At her trial, Judge John Gower told her: 'You treated that child cruelly and caused grave injuries to her.'

Kylie, born four weeks prematurely in April last year, was admitted to the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton after a midwife spotted bruises on her body.

She had a broken thigh bone and shin bones. The court was told she had suffered the injuries when her legs were yanked by her mother on two separate occasions.

The appeal judges ruled that the decision to jail Piper, formerly of Brighton, was right but new psychiatric and probation reports indicated that four years had been excessive.

The court accepted Piper had not meant to harm the child, who has now been adopted, but had acted out of tiredness and frustration.