A CRUEL stepfather has been jailed for three years and three months for striking a boy and girl with a piece of wood during multiple incidents of violence at their Bradford home.

The children were left bruised and afraid when the man created ‘an atmosphere of fear in the household,’ Bradford Crown Court heard today.

The defendant, aged in his 30s, of no fixed address, was convicted by a jury of two charges of child cruelty after denying the offences and taking the matters to trial.

The judge, Recorder Tahir Khan KC, said he posed a risk of harm to children in the future.

The court heard he had a previous conviction for child cruelty as well as a criminal record for theft and robbery.

The man, who can’t be named to protect the identities of the children, was brought to justice after his stepdaughter told a teacher she was scared of him and of what he might do to the family.

A social worker went to the address and the man was removed so she could talk to the children.

The girl said he had punched her legs, tried to throw her downstairs and hit her and her brother with a piece of wood. She said she ‘didn’t have any bruises anymore.’ The boy, who did have bruising, said he had been thrown and hit in the back.

The court heard that their mother was assaulted by the man if she tried to intervene.

Prosecutor Chloe Fairley said the defendant had done physical, psychological and emotional harm to the children. They said in their victim impact statements that they were glad to have been removed from the aggression they were subjected to.

David McGonigal said in mitigation that the violence did not include broken limbs or wounds as was sometimes seen in the court.

Although the probation report ‘paints a less than helpful picture of the defendant,’ he had a new partner who was in court to support him.

Recorder Khan said the man had ‘created an atmosphere of fear in the household.’ He had used significant force to be cruel and violent towards the two children.

He had been their carer and had abused the position of trust placed in him.

By pleading not guilty, he had shown no empathy for his victims or remorse for the way he had treated them.

Recorder Khan made an indefinite restraining order banning the man from ever contacting the children again.