Man goes on trial accused of putting child in tumble dryer

A man has gone on trial accused of assaulting a 13-month-old girl by putting the child in a tumble dryer.

Thomas Dunn, 25, faces four charges of assault against two children at a flat in Arbroath, Angus, between 2015 and 2018.

On one occasion he is alleged to have put a toddler in a tumble dryer and closed the door, activating the drum and endangering her life.

A jury at Dundee Sheriff Court began hearing evidence in the case before Sheriff Alastair Brown on Monday.

The first witness, a woman who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said Dunn looked after her child on three occasions to give her a break.

Describing him as a friend, she said: “I felt like he was the only person who was helping me. I was really struggling.

“He was helping me. I felt like he was a support at that time.”

Dunn denies assaulting one child between December 2017 and January 2018.

He also denies assaulting another child between April 2015 and January 2018.

The trial continues.