Connecticut man faces 10 years in prison for injuring child

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to assaulting, burning, and breaking the bones of his then-girlfriend’s 18-month-old son.

The Hartford Court reports that 25-year-old Courtney King Saunders pleaded guilty to first-degree assault Thursday under the Alford doctrine, meaning he disagrees with some of the state’s evidence, but acknowledges there is enough to convict. He faces 10 years in prison at sentencing on March 20.

Prosecutors say Saunders was caring for the child in March 2016 when little boy was taken to the hospital with a head injury severe enough that he required brain surgery, first- and second-degree burns on about 30 percent of his body from bath water that was too hot, retinal hemorrhages and broken ribs.

The boy’s mother previously pleaded guilty and received a suspended prison sentence.

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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com