Updated: 19:04, Friday April 20, 2007
Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other with weapons and filmed the fight have been spared jail.
Edit: removed picture
The children's mother Zara Care, along with her sisters Serenza and Danielle Olver and her mother Carole Olver, forced the kids to punch each other in the face.
The women also goaded the two-year-old boy and three-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, to hit each other with a magazine and a hairbrush.
When one did not fight, they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".
The fight, filmed on a home video recorder, was found by the children's father who is in the Army and had returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
He had been looking for some footage of his children playing to show their grandparents, but instead found the fight and reported it to social services.
All four women, from North Prospect, Plymouth, Devon, had pleaded guilty to child cruelty and were given 12-month sentences suspended for two years.
They also were each ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service and banned from working with children.
Judge Francis Gilbert, sentencing at Plymouth Crown Court, said: "You were cruel, callous, clearly causing the children to hurt each other for your own pleasure."
During the fight, both children were at different times reduced to tears and were shouted at to carry on, the court heard.
Care, 21, pleaded guilty to causing or procuring the children to be ill-treated in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
Danielle, 19, Serenza, 29, and Carole Olver, 48, pleaded guilty to jointly inciting the ill-treatment of children.
In police interview, Carole Olver said: "I didn't see any harm in toughening them up - I done the same with my own children."
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
I assume the children were taken into care (or are living with the father, who reported the video to social services) at the outset? The article doesn't mention that - I'd can't believe they would be left with the mothers.
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
The kids living with the parents of the father, who at the moment is servng in the military, or so BBC news stated that yesterday, or the day before..but I'm pretty sure that's what I read..
Anyway, the thing is the people were jus given 100 hours of unpaid service, but were told that they weren't a threat to Society.. How so?
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
format_quote Originally Posted by Musaafir
The kids living with the parents of the father, who at the moment is servng in the military, or so BBC news stated that yesterday, or the day before..but I'm pretty sure that's what I read..
Anyway, the thing is the people were jus given 100 hours of unpaid service, but were told that they weren't a threat to Society.. How so?
It says it in this article too. He had come back from Iraq to find a video of his children being forced to fight each other. There is no way the father would put his children into care as he obviously loves them enough to report his wife to the police.
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
format_quote Originally Posted by Abdul Fattah
It's ironic that this comes in the news just after the Taliban incident with the little kid. Reminds me of the "no true scotchman"
I'm not quite sure why. Nobody is denying that cruelty and other inappropriate behavior towards children happens all over the world. It should be condemned wherever it occurs.
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
why oh why is this in world affairs???
it was decided recently to close some threads after 3 days (which upon reflection, i agreed with) on the premise that there was so much breaking news and yet we continue to see "fluff" in this section.
:enough!:
each man thinks of his own fleas as gazelles
question authority
Re: Four women who forced toddlers to attack each other
'Nappy Slapping' Sentence Review
Updated: 19:47, Wednesday April 25, 2007
Four women who forced two toddlers to fight and filmed the brawl are to have their "lenient" sentences reviewed.
The group - who goaded one child with cries of "faggot" and "wimp" - received suspended prison terms and community service.
Now, following calls from Tory MP Mike Penning, the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, is to request the Crown Prosecution Service papers into the case.
He then has 23 days to decide if it should be sent to the Court of Appeal for re-sentencing.
Zara Care, 21, the children's mother, her sisters Serenza, 29, and Danielle Olver, 19, and her mother Carole Olver, 48, forced the two toddlers to punch each other in the face.
Mr Penning said he was "appalled at the leniency of their sentences".
The judge said he found the film "shocking to watch".
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They were seen goading the two-year-old boy and three-year-old girl to hit each other with a magazine and a hairbrush and when one did not fight they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by the children's father, who is in the Army and had returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
Prosecutor David Gittins told the court that the father described the footage to police as being "like a dog fight" and that it had reduced him to tears.
All four, from North Prospect, Plymouth, Devon, pleaded guilty to child cruelty charges and were each sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.
They also were each ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service and banned from working with children.
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