RAF MILDENHALL, England — An airman accused of breaking the legs of his 1-month-old daughter in an incident last August was sentenced to three years’ confinement after being convicted of assault against a minor at a general court-martial Wednesday.
Senior Airman Kenneth W. Barnes II, assigned to Mildenhall’s 100th Security Forces Squadron, was found guilty of aggravated assault against a minor for grabbing the infant by the legs, fracturing both the baby’s femurs and left tibia when she was 27 days old, according to an Air Force prosecutor.
He was also found guilty of assault consummated by a battery against a minor for slapping the infant on the forehead in the same incident.
Furthermore, Barnes was convicted of making false official statements to special investigators after initially claiming he had slapped the child, then later changing his statement, according to court testimony.
Barnes also received a bad-conduct discharge, was reduced in rank to E-1 and was given a reprimand. He could have received 10 years of confinement for the charges.
Barnes was tried in a judge-only court-martial in front of U.S. Air Force Judge (Col.) Gordon Hammock.