A TEENAGE dad who refused to give up a single day with his baby daughter was jailed for 21 days by a judge this week – putting him out of contact with the child for three weeks. Craig Downer, 19, claimed he could not miss a day s contact with the child to

A TEENAGE dad who refused to give up a single day with his baby daughter was jailed for 21 days by a judge this week - putting him out of contact with the child for three weeks.

Craig Downer, 19, claimed he could not miss a day's contact with the child to attend an induction day for the 80 hours of unpaid work he was ordered to undertake earlier this year for criminal damage.

Before jailing Downer, District Judge Ken Sheraton warned him: "You will not have contact with the child if I send you to prison."

He then checked with Downer's solicitor, asking: "Rather than go to one session, he is prepared to miss the next three week's contact?"

Hugh Cauthery, representing Downer at Wisbech courthouse on Tuesday, said: "As a result of hard negotiations he has contact with his daughter for three days a week.

"He is anxious to maintain a relationship with his daughter, so he is prepared to face the consequence of his non compliance; he is prepared to go to jail. I ask you to give him credit for his honesty."

The court heard that a health and safety induction course is held only on a Friday or Saturday, but Downer sees his child on both those days.

Downer, of Cherry Road, Wisbech, was originally given an 80-hour work order after admitting that he caused criminal damage to a window and door of a man's home in the early hours of February 23.