AN Ashburton teenager who bit a 19-month-old baby girl's right forearm while babysitting was given a year's community rehabilitation order by the South Devon Youth Court in Newton Abbot, on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the child's mother.

Sentencing the boy, chairman Jan Gant told him that the bench did not feel his action was pre-planned and felt there was an element of spontaneity.

'We feel you have to accept what you did was totally unacceptable in a position of trust,' she said.

Prosecutor David Bowen said when the matter came to court, in February, a not guilty plea was entered, a similar plea at a pre-trial review in March and on the first day of a two-day trial last month he had changed his plea to guilty.

He said the infant was a normal child described by her mother and medical practitioners as in good health apart from bruising from normal childhood trauma. She was well behaved and not inclined to bite.

The mother had started seeing the

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defendant three or four times a week. He had baby sat the infant about nine times and there were no untoward incidents.

Mr Bowen said after they had an argument on September 3, the mother left her in the care of the defendant and when she returned he was in an aggressive and anti-social state. He swore at her, collected his belongings and walked out.

'She found the infant crying and saw a bite mark on her forearm. The child was kept in hospital for two days,' said Mr Bowen, who added that paediatricians and expert opinion considered it was a bite mark and a non-accidental injury.

Photographs of the injury were handed to the bench.

The teenager denied he was responsible, but when asked to provide a dental bite specimen he failed to co-operate.

Mr Bowen said he had previous convictions but none involving violence.

For the teenager, Paul Dentith said the defendant was questioned about a whole series of injuries the baby had.

He criticised the police for the way they conducted their questioning asking the defendant about a bruise to the baby's head and knee and blaming him for the injuries.

Mr Dentith said the mother said explained those injuries were caused when the baby fell out of the pram two weeks earlier, again when she fell out of a sandpit and when she fell on the wooden cot.

'He had said "it felt as if they had accused me of battering the child for a couple of hours while I was looking after it. I was in a complete panic. I was questioned about a whole series of injuries of which I hadn't done",' he said.

Mr Dentith said his client continued: 'The baby bit me and, as an educational lesson, I put my teeth on her arm and bit her. For that I am guilty'.

The teenager, who had not answered a referral order to attend the youth offending team, on one occasion, was asked by the bench why he had missed it. He replied: 'Because I was smoking weed at the time. I have not smoked it for two or three weeks'.

The court heard that he had reading and educational difficulties and that he had since completed the order and the team was satisfied with him.