NEIGHBOURS of Paul Oldacre, who killed his seven-month-old son by repeatedly punching him, have described how they were shocked by his crime.

People who live near to the place where Oldacre killed his son, in Burbage Road, Penhill, described him as a quiet man who kept himself to himself.

One neighbour, who asked not to be identified, said she remembered the day when the ambulances came to the house in September last year, after Oldacre murdered little Jamie.

She said: "I was just shocked. I remember seeing the ambulances and the police, but I didn't know what had happened. I couldn't believe it when I found out."

Oldacre, 27, was sentenced to life at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, after a jury found him unanimously guilty of murder.

The jury heard harrowing evidence of how Oldacre repeatedly punched baby Jamie in the stomach, because he would not stop crying.

Jamie's injuries were so severe his liver had been ruptured three times over that he died from internal bleeding.

Tracy Weaver, 19, lives opposite the flat where Oldacre used to live and her sister now lives in Oldacre's old home.

Miss Weaver said: "I've got a baby who's teething at the minute and cries all the time.

"But I couldn't ever hit him like that. I reach boiling point all the time, but I could never do anything like that."

Gareth Duhite, 24, who also lives nearby, said he had not seen any of the events following the death of Jamie Oldacre, but was stunned when he heard what had happened.

He said: "It's sad really. It really is."

Dina Maslin, a Penhill resident, has known Oldacre for 11 years.

She disagrees with the evidence the jury heard that Oldacre had a mental age of eight.

She said: "Paul Oldacre was best friends with my daughter's father, so I have known him quite well for about 11 years.

"I don't know about his mental age, but he seemed to be fairly normal."

Today social worker Maureen Ash, service manager with Swindon's Child-ren and Families Division, said she hoped any father or mother who felt they could not cope with a crying child would ask for help.

She said: "This is a tragedy from every point of view the family's, the child's and everybody involved.

"We are all striving to try to prevent families from getting to this stage.

"There are a lot of resources available. The first thing that is needed is for any parent to acknowledge that they are having difficulty coping. Finding things difficult is not a sign of failure all parents have times when they find things difficult."

n Details of family centres are available from the council's information service at Wat Tyler house, which is behind the council offices in Euclid Street. Social Services can be contacted on 466903, and the out of hours number is 465333.