October 2026

Reading man jailed for assaulting baby and violent robbery

A man who inflicted serious injuries on a 25-day-old baby and later carried out a violent robbery has been jailed for more than five years.

Joshua Grant, aged 32, of Ashampstead Road, Reading, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 26 October to a total of five years and six months’ imprisonment.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting a child to cause unnecessary injury and was found guilty of robbery and theft after a trial in his absence.

The child cruelty offence occurred on 23 March 2023.

An investigation by Thames Valley Police found that Grant caused serious injuries to a baby aged just 25 days old.

The infant suffered two broken ribs, bruising, and brain, spinal and retinal haemorrhaging.

Grant was arrested four days later and subsequently charged on 18 November 2024. He pleaded guilty to the child cruelty offence at Reading Crown Court on 10 November 2025.

Grant was also convicted in relation to a robbery at Tesco in Bath Road, Reading on 17 January this year.

During the incident, he punched a security guard in the face before fleeing the store with stolen goods.

The victim, a 57-year-old man, was left with lasting injuries to his teeth.