Sadistic father beat his newborn daughter, held a pillow over her face and forced her head underwater because he 'wanted to cause her pain' Joshua Stephens, 22, was violent towards the baby girl numerous times He confessed to his wife and then police after he slapped the six-week-old Stephens was given a four year jail term for cruelty and assault Joshua Stephens, 22, a 'sadistic' father who hit his newborn daughter and admitted he had an overwhelming desire to cause her pain A sadistic father has been jailed for four years after he beat his newborn daughter and told police he wanted to cause her pain. Joshua Stephens, 22, was violent towards the unnamed baby for the first six weeks of her life before he confessed to his wife about what he had done. Among the most brutal acts he carried out, Stephens held a pillow over the child's face and forced her head under water while giving her a bath. Stephens, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, was told by a judge that he posed a significant risk to the public after hearing that he had slapped the girl 'as hard as you would hit a man'. After admitting to his wife what he had done, Stephens went to a police station and told officers he had an overwhelming desire to hurt his daughter. He was jailed for four years and told he must serve an extended licence period of four years upon his release after pleading guilty to cruelty to a child and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Sentencing Stephens on Wednesday, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: 'It is obvious that these incidents occurred as a result of your sadistic desire to cause pain and distress to your daughter. This was a gross breach of trust on a vulnerable child. The horrifying abuse came to light on September 4 last year when Stephens hit the youngster 'as hard as he could' when she woke up crying for a feed. His daughter was left with a bruised cheek from the blow. His wife was out of the room at the time and he admitted what he had done when she returned. Sentencing Stephens at Leeds Crown Court (pictured), Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: 'It is obvious that these incidents occurred as a result of your sadistic desire to cause pain and distress to your daughter' He also told his wife's father about what he had done before going to a police station and telling an officer: 'I hit my daughter and smothered her.' He underwent a psychiatric assessment and told a doctor that he had a history of self harming from the age of 14 and had strong urges to punch objects and use knives. The doctor diagnosed Stephens as suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and was prone to impulsive and unpredictable behaviour. Judge Marson added: 'There is at the moment a significant risk of serious harm to the public.'