Father slapped child 'with force' leaving bruises on youngster's legs
A father who disciplined his son while he was in his care by slapping the youngster's legs has appeared in court.
The man was said to have used "considerable force", leaving the child with bruising to the legs and thighs, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told.
Judge Jonathan Gosling told the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, it was a breach of responsibility and a serious loss of temper.
But he accepted reports on the defendant which indicated he was extremely remorseful and it was an isolated incident that was unlikely to happen again in the future.
The man, who appeared at court yesterday, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year and must attend a rehabilitation programme and complete 150 hours' unpaid work.
The court heard that the father, who lives in the Shrewsbury area, had been convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm by magistrates in July and appeared at the crown court for sentence yesterday.
Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the incident happened in March this year when the father had temporary responsibility for the child.
He said the child's mother later saw the injuries and three days later took the youngster to hospital where doctors said the victim's injuries were consistent with being slapped with considerable force.
When arrested, the father had told officers it had been an issue of discipline in relation to using the toilet and he had "wanted it to sting" but was remorseful about what he had done.
The father, who was not represented at court by a lawyer, was said to be a man of previous good character.
He said he accepted what was said about him in a social inquiry report and he was very sorry for what he had done and for the distress he had caused.
