Rocky Uzzell

Rocky Uzzell, 29, and his partner Katherine Prigmore, 24, from Sheila Place in Kettering, Northamptonshire, were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court for the horrific abuse of their five-week-old daughter Isabelle in 2014. The couple pleaded guilty to causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm, with Uzzell receiving a sentence of eight-and-a-half years' imprisonment. Additionally, Uzzell admitted to four counts of making indecent images and was given six months for each charge, to run concurrently with his main sentence.

The abuse came to light when Isabelle was admitted to Kettering General Hospital on 20 March 2014, marking her fifth admission in a short period. Transferred to a hospital in Leicester, medical examinations revealed two significant bleeds on the brain and one down her spinal column, consistent with non-accidental injuries from violent shaking. Further reports indicated rib fractures from squeezing and fractured limbs from being yanked, leading to irreversible damage. Isabelle, now nearly three years old at the time of sentencing, is blind, requires tube feeding, suffers from epilepsy and severe learning difficulties, and is not expected to live beyond early adulthood. She will never walk or talk due to the catastrophic injuries inflicted by her parents.

Evidence presented in court included three disturbing videos found on a phone. One showed Uzzell forcefully winding the distressed baby while Prigmore laughed as she filmed. Another captured Uzzell's hands on the baby's throat as she vomited. The couple displayed a shocking lack of concern during Isabelle's hospitalisation, even joking that her condition would allow them to visit Nando's. Judge Rupert Mayo described Uzzell as 'dangerous' during sentencing, emphasising that Prigmore's priority should have been her daughter. Detective Constable Spencer Bailey of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit stated that the pair inflicted 'horrific injuries on this vulnerable baby' who now needs lifelong medical support, calling their behaviour 'quite sickening'.

Following the incident, Isabelle was placed in the process of adoption outside the county. The case was handled by Northamptonshire Police as part of the investigation into the non-accidental injuries and the discovery of indecent images on Uzzell's device. The indecent images charges highlight additional criminality beyond the physical abuse, confirming Uzzell's involvement in sexual offences related to child exploitation material.