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Leeds Crown Court heard that the the 34-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the boy’s identity, would join in with the mother in striking the toddler for not eating his dinner or tidying up his toys.

The couple subjected the boy to "excessive force", leaving him with purple bruising to his upper legs. They were both found guilty of child cruelty after a seven-day trial. They both sought to blame each other, prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe told the court. The mother, who is from the Wakefield area, had begun a relationship with man and the unemployed pair would drink and take cocaine all night and then sleep all day.

One of the woman’s older female children said the man’s involvement caused the family to "totally separate", that he took advantage and manipulated the 38-year-old mother, forcing her to "choose him over her children".

The girl said they would regularly strike the toddler, slapping him mainly to his upper thigh. They would lock him in his room and if he banged on the door, they would both go to his room, take his trousers down and slap him again.

The woman was found guilty of child cruelty to her two-year-old son. (library pics by Shutterstock / National World)

The boy's sister told the court it left him scared and he would hide behind the curtains. He would be left crying for hours as his mother and her partner lay asleep during the day. The child's injuries came to the attention of the authorities after the boy's aunty noticed the multiple bruising to his thighs in July 2021.

A paediatrician concluded that the bruises were "consistent with him being slapped with an open hand with excessive force and likely to have been on multiple occasions".

The stepdad appeared in court this week via video link from HMP Leeds. Mitigating, Tom Jackson said witnesses said the boy was struck “far more” by the mother than the stepdad.

He also said that the defendant refuted that he was responsible for the woman’s drug taking. Mr Jackson added: “He is not dangerous and pre-disposed to violence. He has no relevant previous convictions.”

Judge Simon Phillips KC described his role as “neglect in a criminal way” and rejected the man’s version of events. He handed him 30 months’ jail. The mother was previously given a 24-month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months.

Stepdad jailed for beating Wakefield child for not finishing his dinner