Call of Duty player assaults and seriously injures crying child after being ‘killed off’ too many times

A VIDEO gamer assaulted a young child in a fit of rage at being repeatedly ‘killed off’ while playing Call of Duty.

Ryan Birnie, 22, became increasingly “on the edge” as he was losing the popular warfare game and could hear a crying child in the background, a court heard.

After snapping and telling the tot to be quiet, he grabbed it by the face and slapped the sobbing youngster, leaving it with serious injuries.

Prosecuting, Hannah Wood told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court how the incident came to light after the child was rushed to A&E on November 22 last year.

The consultant paediatrician who examined the child informed the police that she believed the injuries to be non-accidental.

Birnie was interviewed by police and initially denied any wrongdoing but later admitted grabbing and slapping the child.

Ms Wood told the court: “He became frustrated because he kept on dying against other players."

Call of Duty is a first-person shoot ‘em up game set primarily in World War II which sees users take on a series of challenges.

Birnie, of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

Kevin Saunders, mitigating, said: “This is an isolated incident.

“This was without premeditation. It is out of character.

“Thankfully, the injuries have not given rise to any long-term complaints or defects."

The court heard that Birnie had developed an "upside down" lifestyle, which involved staying up until late to play games.

Sentencing him, Judge David Fletcher said: “You found yourself drained of energy, tired and frustrated at what was going on in the computer game.