Man Jailed for making fun of disabled child

[جوري]

William Bailey has been sentenced to 1 month in jail for making fun of the walk of of 10-year-old Hope Holcomb (pictured), who has cerebral palsy.



CANTON, OHIO (AP) -- A northeast Ohio man accused of making fun of a young girl with cerebral palsy has been sentenced to a month in jail.
Canton Municipal Judge John A. Poulos ordered the maximum sentence for 43-year-old William Bailey, who pleaded no contest Tuesday to reduced misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and aggravated menacing.
The (Canton) Repository reports that Bailey was caught on cellphone video at a school bus stop in October making fun of how the 10-year-old disabled girl walks. The video of him seemingly imitating her limp was disseminated online and on local TV news. Bailey denied he was mocking the girl, saying he was reacting to name-calling directed at his 9-year-old son.
Bailey apologized to the girl and her family in a statement Tuesday.
CORRECTION: A previous photo caption incorrectly stated that Bailey had been sentenced to 6 months in jail. He has been sentenced to one month in jail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...id10|htmlws-main-bb|dl1|sec3_lnk3&pLid=239355

_____________________________

This is truly a new low.. However, I am glad to see that the west has some laws protecting the dignity of others that it isn't a carte blanche of mockery and venomous speech under the guise of 'free expression or free speech' or free whatever crap - so the conclusion is they only like to export laws of that nature those against the dignity and sanctity of people in the Muslim world only!

 

[truthseeker63]

Making fun of the disabled is wrong but should people be jailed for it or just say sorry ?

 

[IslamiMessage]

Making fun of the disabled is wrong but should people be jailed for it or just say sorry ?

Well, I think making fun of anyone is wrong, and sending people to jail for it makes no sense. People should just apologize and ask for forgiveness when they do make fun of others. I believe Islam says the same thing as well, but I am not entirely sure. Maybe one of you can expand on this further.

 

[Innocent Soul]

I think at first they should act strictly because it's quite common. No one even says sorry to the person or even feel guilty for doing so maybe for sometime people will start realizing that it is very wrong to make fun of anyone.

 

[جوري]

I am actually glad he went to jail, I wish they'd implement similar laws to any bully. This also should highlight that there's no such thing as complete or even partial freedom of speech or expression in the west as they'll have you believe - that's it is only a cart blanche when it comes to anti-Islamic BS and it is certainly things that we should populate this along with others like the fellow who put a Halloween effigy of Obama only to 'regret' it later when the secret service paid him a visit!
That's all you need to glean from such stories. Obviously it is disgusting when anyone makes fun of another human being and that's all we've saying all along!

 

[sister herb]

As my opinion, some kind of community service with disabled children would be better lesson to him than jail.

 

[IslamiMessage]

As my opinion, some kind of community service with disabled children would be better lesson to him than jail.

Yeah, and he would learn what the disabled go through, and how wrong it is to make fun of them.

 

[Logikon]

....venomous speech under the guise of 'free expression or free speech' or free whatever crap - so the conclusion is they only like to export laws of that nature those against the dignity and sanctity of people in the Muslim world only!

I have no idea what any of that means.

There is more to this story...

He not only harassed the young girl... But threatened the mother.
Bailey....was charged twice.
He was originally charged for aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Bailey, she said, “was swinging a tow chain on his porch, saying he was going to choke me until I stopped twitching. “
In Ohio, a menacing charge is a misdemeanor fourth degree, which carries a maximum of 30 days in jail.
The second original charge, for the bus stop incident, was disorderly conduct. A disorderly conduct is a minor misdemeanor and carries no jail time.

The month in jail is for threatening the mother. There is no punishment for being rude to the girl.

 

[جوري]

That's not why he went to jail according to several news sources. Now given that you thought London was in France just a couple of days ago, I am not surprised that you find most things difficult to understand:

here's the story from a different news source and I guess we all know the secret as to not having any idea what anything means- do pay extra close attention to the laws against race and religion but nothing against disability before you open your bazoo- there are two seprate charges in fact!
Enjoy:




Man Sentenced to Jail After Mocking Disabled Girl

By Christina Lopez
Christina Lopez

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By Christina Lopez | ABC News Blogs – Wed, Nov 28, 2012 8:51 PM EST

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  Man Sentenced to Jail After Teasing Disabled Girl (ABC News)

An Ohio man faces one month of jail time for teasing and taunting a 1o-year-old girl with cerebral palsy after a video of the incident went viral.
On Nov. 27, Judge John A. Poulos of the Canton Municipal Court sentenced 43-year-old William Bailey to 29 days in jail.
The taunting occurred on Sept. 26, when Tricia Knight and her mother-in-law were waiting for her children's bus to return from school. Knight's three children, including 10-year-old Hope, attend Walker Elementary with Bailey's 9-year-old son, Joseph.
What happened next was caught on an iPod camera by Knight's mother-in-law, Marie Prince.
William Bailey "was dragging his leg and patting his arm across his chest to pick his son Joseph up," said Knight. "I asked him to please stop doing this. 'My daughter can see you.' He then told his son to walk like the R-word."
The next day Knight posted the video on her Facebook page while Prince uploaded the video they called "Bus Stop Ignorance" to YouTube. Within days, the video went viral.
The Knight family has lived next door to the Baileys for the past two years, and the incident at the bus stop, according to Knight, is the culmination of rising tensions and intimidation against her kids.
In the days that followed the taunting at the bus stop, the Knight family filed a complaint with Canton City prosecutors.
Jennifer Fitzsimmons, the chief assistant city prosecutor for this case, says in the three years she's been in this role, she's never seen anything like this.
"I think when we look at cases, there's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But when there's nothing out there regarding disabilities, it took me a little bit longer to come to a decision."
After Fitzsimmons reviewed the Knight family's complaint, a police report based on a phone call from the Knight family, and the video captured by Prince, she decided to press charges.
"It was settled without Hope having to relive what she saw and how it impacted her," said Fitzsimmons. "I think the trial could have been just as traumatic as the event itself."
Bailey, who works as a truck driver, was charged twice. He was originally charged for aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor of the first degree. In this charge, the victim was Knight, an incident she says took place the same day as the bus stop scene.
Bailey, she said, "was swinging a tow chain on his porch, saying he was going to choke me until I stopped twitching. I sent my kids with my mother-in-law to leave with them. My husband called the sheriff."
In Ohio, a menacing charge is a misdemeanor fourth degree, which carries a maximum of 30 days in jail.
The second original charge, for the bus stop incident, was disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. A disorderly conduct is a minor misdemeanor and carries no jail time.
Although Bailey's sentencing technically reflects the charges brought by his actions toward Knight, Hope's mother, Fitzsimmons explains how the plea deal enabled the sentence to cover his actions toward Hope.
"Because the menacing misdemeanor charge was directed toward Hope's mother, and they're all interrelated, the judge took into account all the actions of Mr. Bailey and the entire Holcomb family," said Fitzsimmons.
Bailey "entered a plea of 'no contest' to a menacing charge and to disorderly conduct," said Fitzsimmons. His sentence will go into effect on Jan. 2.
Judge Poulos required Bailey to pay $400 in court costs as well as other fees. He was given a credit for one day which is why his sentence is 29 days and not the maximum 30.
Following the Nov. 27 hearing, Bailey's attorney, John R. Giua, released a statement and apology on Bailey's behalf, according to the The Repository, an online newspaper for Stark County, Ohio.
"I don't think this sentence will change things because it hasn't so far," said Knight.
Knight says living next door to the Baileys affects their everyday lives.
Just last summer, said Knight, 9-year-old Joseph Bailey came over to play with Knight's children and brought over a pocket knife, threatening to "cut [Hope] up," followed by name calling. That harassment continued into the school year.
Since the bus stop incident, Knight has spoken with the bus driver and the school's principal. Knight now drives Hope to school every day while her other two children ride another bus to school.
Hope was born 29 weeks premature after Knight was involved in a head-on auto collision. When she was born, Hope weighed only two pounds, 12 ounces, which caused several medical problems resulting in two brain surgeries. Knight says her daughter fought for her life the first two years.
As for whether this case presents a new precedent in Ohio is another debate.
"I don't know if it sets a precedent so much maybe as it begins a conversation between people," said Fitzsimmons. "I think conversation starts progress, and I think if it can bring something else to light, it would be good."





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