Angry father struck child, 12
A HELICOPTER pilot from Geelong was angry that his daughter could not sleep when he twisted the girl’s ear and repeatedly smacked her.
Solomon Collins left the 12year-old girl with bruises to her leg after launching the assault at his home in late 2019.
Geelong Magistrates Court heard the 40-year-old also verbally abused his daughter and took away her bed sheets, leaving the young girl to sleep on a bare mattress.
Collins, of Belmont, was sentenced on Friday to a good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to unlawful assault.
The court heard Collins is a pilot who operates chartered helicopter flights with Melbourne-based company Microflite.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Stephanie Drake said the assault took place late at night on December 18, 2019.
The 12-year-old victim was having trouble going to sleep and started playing with her toys when Collins initially came into the room “angry” and verbally abused the girl.
He took away some of his daughter’s bedding, leaving her with only a sheet and pillow, and told her he would come back and take the rest if she did not go to sleep.
The court heard the girl was still unable to fall asleep when Collins returned to the room, held his daughter down and smacked her upper thigh at least three times. He also twisted the victim’s ear during the incident, before taking the remaining bedding and leaving the room.
As a result of the assault, the girl sustained bruises and redness to her thigh, but did not require medical attention.
Collins was remorseful when questioned by police a week later and admitted he had acted out of frustration.
Defence lawyer Michael Vines said his client was a single father who had worked as a pilot for more than 10 years.
He said Collins’s career also involved work as an aerial firefighter during summer.
Magistrate Jelena Popovic acknowledged the difficulties of parenting but said there was no excuse for the assault.
“I understand that sometimes dealing with children can be very frustrating, but our job as parents is to not lose our temper,” she said.
Collins avoided a conviction as he was put on a good behaviour bond for 2½ years.
He was also ordered to pay $750 to the court fund, with the money to be distributed to local charities.