Kettering baby abuser blamed his actions on a ghost, new court evidence reveals

Rocky Uzzell, 29, and his partner Katherine Prigmore, 24, were jailed last month for their part in causing catastrophic injuries to baby Isabelle.

Details of a previous family court hearing in May 2015 have now been revealed by Mr Justice Keehan, who described the case as “chilling”.

It emerged Uzzell claimed a “ghost-like alter ego” had at times “taken over his body since he was a child”, making him try to “get rid” of baby Isabelle.

But the judge said Uzzell had assaulted the little girl at least six times – and that the alter ego was a “ruse”.

He said that Uzzell might have created the alter ego as an “imaginary protector” but evidence showed that it was the man who had hurt Isabelle and not a ghost.

The judge found that there was a “sadistic element” to the abuse, which left the baby girl confined to a wheelchair and needing to be fed through a tube.

Mr Justice Keehan, who oversaw the High Court litigation, has now decided that evidence heard behind closed doors can be made public because criminal proceedings have ended.

At the couple’s sentencing at Northampton Crown Court, the court heard how the tragic tot’s shocking injuries came to light after paramedics were called to their home in Kettering on March 20, 2014.

Prigmore called emergency services reporting that the baby’s limbs had “gone limp” and that the child was “vomiting”.

But a court heard when medics attended the warped couple appeared more concerned it was Uzzell’s birthday that day.

Paramedics rushed Isabelle to Kettering General Hospital after first resuscitating the infant at the property.

Isabelle was later transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary where she remained in intensive care.

An MRI scan revealed swelling in the brain and that her wrist had been over-extended.

Further evidence of injuries were found consistent with squeezing and she also had a fractured leg, tibia and right forearm.

Police seized the couple’s mobile phones and also found a shocking video showing Uzzell shaking the child on the device, with Prigmore laughing in the background.

Uzzell was jailed for six years while Prigmore was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.

Sentencing at the time, Judge Rupert Mayo described the harm as “inexcusable and deliberate” and said the couple had a “warped view of parenting”.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “This barbaric pair have committed such dreadful abuse that they have robbed an innocent baby of her sight, independence and ultimately her future.

“It speaks volumes that child protection officers, who so often have to deal with upsetting cases of abuse, said that it was probably the worst case of suffering that they had seen.

“It is only right that this cruel couple, who inflicted such appalling damage, are now behind bars.

“Anyone who is worried about a child can call the NSPCC’s Helpline on 0808 800 5000.”