A man who admitted smoking up to “30 bongs a day” will spend eight years behind bars after inflicting lifelong injuries on an 18-month-old boy.
Rhyan Jon Stephens, 37, was sentenced in the Adelaide District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to multiple offenses against the boy, including intentionally causing harm.
The court heard the boy still suffers nightmares from the horrific attacks, which left him with several rib fractures, liver damage and a ruptured pancreas.
The boy’s injuries were discovered when he was rushed to Women’s and Children’s Hospital on July 15, 2020, while he was vomiting, feeling lethargic and refusing to eat.
Tests and scans showed the boy had been physically abused for several months.
A large bruise was also found on the tip of the boy’s penis, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
Stephens took the stand to defend himself during the trial.
He told the court he smoked up to 30 bongs a day when he was not looking after the children and “smoked a bong every hour” when he was.
Rhyan Jon Stephens (pictured) was sentenced to eight years behind bars for abusing an 18-month-old boy.
Stephens (pictured with another boy) admitted to smoking up to “30 bongs a day”
Stephens said he usually started smoking cannabis with his morning coffee or after dropping the children off at school or daycare.
The 37-year-old gave several reasons for the boy’s serious injuries, including the fact that he had given him CPR after he nearly drowned in the bathtub.
Stephens also claimed that the boy’s most recent injuries were caused by a toddler crawling on top of him while he slept on a couch.
He said he had accidentally elbowed the child, but “didn’t think about it any further” until the 18-month-old was taken to the hospital.
During Stephens’ first police interview, he was asked if he knew of any incidents that could have caused the boy’s injuries.
“Honestly, no,” he replied.
Asked in court why he didn’t tell police about the bathroom incident, Stephens said: “I was afraid of losing what I already had.”
Following an investigation into the mental incompetence defense, Stephens pleaded guilty to harming the child.
Stephens (pictured) will not be eligible for parole until October 2029
Prosecutor Karen Ingleton had previously said injuries to the boy’s penis were likely caused by “blunt tears or pinches.”
The court later heard Stephens had squeezed him forcefully, causing the bruising.
He had also applied forceful pressure to the boy’s chest, forcing the pancreas into his spine.
It is unlikely the boy will ever be able to play contact sports due to his life-changing injuries.
He also suffers constant nightmares due to the abuse inflicted by Stephens.
The boy’s mother said the violence inflicted on her son had left her “lost, numb and depressed.”
District Court Judge Michael Burnett accepted Stephens was remorseful for his action but noted the lifelong effects it would have on the boy.
“The crime was committed against the most vulnerable and defenseless member of society, that is, a baby,” he said.
Stephens was sentenced to eight years and two months with a non-parole period of four years and 11 months.
He will not be eligible for parole until October 2029.