Kiernan Hughes-Mason: Ex-Sussex footballer left girl, 2, with brain damage after beating her

Kiernan Hughes-Mason, 32, left the young child with injuries which one doctor described as similar to those inflicted in a “high-speed road traffic accident” or “a fall from a substantial height of several storeys”. He was convicted of grievous bodily harm and child cruelty after a three-week trial at Basildon Crown Court.

Authorities were initially called to an address in Westcliff-on-Sea in January 2020, where the two-year-old, who is the daughter of Hughes-Mason’s ex-partner, was found with serious injuries. Hughes-Mason made the call to paramedics while he looked after the child alone, claiming to emergency service workers that he heard a loud bang from her bedroom and believed that she had fallen unconscious and unresponsive after she fell on a dollhouse.

The prosecution barrister told the court: “The experts are all unanimously of the view that the child’s devastating head and brain injuries could not have been caused accidentally while she was alone in her room. Hughes-Mason was keen from the outset to portray himself to the police as the doting stepfather who treated the children as his own, saying how much he loved them.

“Yet in his text messages written at the time, he constantly referred to them as ‘your children,’ or ‘your child’ to the child’s mother. He regularly belittled them, talked about them as if they were stupid and put them down.

“In respect of the head and brain injury that the child suffered… the experts all agree that the pattern of injuries found is consistent with the child having been vigorously shaken… with her head likely being hit against a hard surface. The only explanation for the pattern of injuries suffered by the child was that they were inflicted by this defendant and inflicted deliberately.”

The child was rushed to Southend General Hospital, but her injuries were so severe that she would be put into an induced coma and transported to Great Ormond Street Hospital. While she was in hospital, doctors identified a total of 17 different injuries to her legs, back, face and chest, which they believed to have been inflicted between October 2019 and the last assault in January 2020.

The former footballer, who played for teams such as Millwall and Grimsby, as well as non-league sides including Hastings, Welling and Kettering, and served most recently as manager of Tower Hamlets, was arrested on February 14 2020. Hughes-Mason was released on bail as police built their case against him, which included gathering testimony from medical experts and seizing and analysing his phone.

The court heard that Hughes-Mason, who was 28 at the time of his arrest, had sent multiple messages in the days leading up to the final incident in which he told others that caring for his partner’s two-year-old daughter angered him. In the messages he said “she’s actually getting on my nerves” and “I’m gonna hit her”.

Hughes-Mason was eventually charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and child cruelty. After the trial, the jury found him guilty on both charges after five hours of deliberation.

The family of the two-year-old victim welcomed the verdict. They said in a statement after the hearing: “We finally have a verdict and that man is now held accountable for what he did to our little girl. We have had to go through what no family should ever have to experience, and our girl is going to bear the consequences of what he has done to her for the rest of her life”.

Detective Sergeant Ellie Nudd, of Essex Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Hughes-Mason refused to admit what he had done and subjected the family of this little girl to weeks of details of the injuries he allowed or inflicted. Her family have attended court and have shown nothing but dignity and strength. I cannot commend their conduct throughout this trial highly enough while they live the impact of his actions.

She added: “I’d also like to thank all the officers across the Child Abuse Investigation Team who were involved in this case, this was a challenging and complex investigation with multiple officers and detectives working tirelessly over the last four years to make sure this case was as strong as possible.

“This conviction is important. Hughes-Mason denied responsibility for all of the child’s injuries, pointing the finger at others or blaming them on accidents. This little girl will never recover from the injuries she sustained from this violent attack.”

Following his conviction, Enfield Borough FC, who had recently appointed Hughes-Mason to a managerial role at the club, said in a statement: “Effective immediately, Enfield Borough FC has decided to relieve Kiernan Hughes-Mason from his duties as manager. This decision comes in light of recent revelations regarding serious legal matters from Mr Hughes-Mason’s past, which were not disclosed during the hiring process.

“Enfield Borough FC is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and accountability, and we believe that this action is necessary to uphold these values. We appreciate the understanding and continued support of our fans and community during this time.”

Hughes-Mason is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, September 10 at Basildon Crown Court.