A LAUNCESTON man has been jailed for bashing his partner, who was holding their baby, because he was having a "shit day".
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The man, who can't be identified, appeared in the Launceston Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to two counts of assault.
The court heard the man had been drinking when he began shouting at his three-year-old daughter, who he then slapped with excessive force.
During the ensuing argument with his partner, he headbutted the woman twice.
The victim fell to the ground and on the way down their three-month-old son she was holding hit his head on furniture.
The woman suffered lumps and swelling to the forehead, and a swollen lip and nose, which was also bleeding.
The baby was not physically injured but magistrate Reg Marron said psychological damage was a real possibility.
"That's what makes these things even worse," he said.
Mr Marron said the best thing the partner could do if the man started drinking again was to bundle up the kids and leave.
He sentenced the man to five months' jail with three months suspended.
In an unrelated matter, a Devonport man was ordered to carry out community service after he assaulted a man he'd believed had sexually abused his son.
The man punched the victim in the face three times at Newnham before going to Launceston police and reporting the alleged sexual abuse.
At the station he admitted hitting the man.
The victim was later investigated over the allegations of child abuse but the matter was not pursued by prosecutors, his lawyer Adrian Hall said.
Mr Hall said his client had responded violently as another child of his had been the victim of a terrible sexual assault previously.
That matter had seen the perpetrator jailed.
Magistrate Simon Brown sentenced the man, who pleaded guilty, to 21 hours' community service.