Man jailed for raping baby may never be freed

A 34-year-old man who raped a baby has been jailed for life.

Christopher Phillips, from Pembrokeshire, also sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm to the child, was found guilty after a three-week trial.

At Swansea Crown Court the judge said Phillips' crimes "plumbed the depths of sexual depravity" and was the most distressing he had dealt with in 40 years.

The court heard Phillips met the child's mother on dating app Tinder in 2020 and met the baby when only a month old.

It was told Phillips was acting under the influence of various substances.

Reading a victim's statement to the court the baby's grandmother said: "It brought absolute horror and devastation to the family."

Sentencing Phillips, Judge Paul Thomas KC, said: "[This] was the most distressing case of my 40 year career."

Phillips must serve a minimum of 16 years and 25 days, but the judge warned he may spend the rest of his life in prison calling him "a danger to children".