Smacking child ends in jail time

Step-father took belt to daughter

A MAN who smacked his 10year-old step-daughter with his belt for not doing her chores has been handed a jail term by a Toowoomba court.

Judge Deborah Richards had a photograph of the child’s injuries handed to the 51-yearold in the dock, telling him: “Look at that photo.”

“That’s what you did to that child. That’s why you’re here.”

Prosecutor Grace Ollason told Toowoomba District Court that among the girl’s chores was to hang out the washing and when her step-father had asked her on September 9, last year, if she had done so she had replied “yes”.

However, later in the day after he found wet clothes in the washing machine he had told the child to hold onto the back of a chair while he folded over his belt and struck her.

After she cried on the second blow, the man had told her to hang out the clothes.

The matter came to light the next day when the girl asked a teacher at school for a “softer chair to sit on”.

The man, who is not named so as to protect the identity of the child, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed.

Ms Mollason said he had a similar assault of his then twoyear-old step-daughter by another relationship for which he received a three-month suspended jail term in 2006.

However, Ms Mollason acknowledged he had no offences in 11 years.

Defence barrister David Jones said his client had since done a 17-week parenting course and was receiving help from Child Safety.

His client had been suffering a number of stresses and working two jobs at the time, he said.

Judge Richards told the man “smacking is never okay”.

“If that happens again you’ll be going to jail for a very long time,” she warned him.

The man was sentenced to six months’ jail, wholly suspended for two years.