Dad beats daughter for having cell phone (Salisbury, Maryland)

Abusers hate cell phones. They hate anything that allows their victims to communicate with anybody else in the world, or maintain connections with others. The name of their game is isolate and control. So it's no wonder that an abuser dad like HANDY T. CORNISH reacted in such an extreme way--beating his daughter with a belt for having a cell phone in her possession, and then striking her 5 times for each contact name in the phone.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT: No mention of a mother at all, so I'm really wondering if this is a single or custodial dad.

My daughter's abusive custodial father also hated it when she acquired a cell phone in her mid teens. He wanted total control over who she could speak to (including her mother), so he devised a lot of scams for trying to take it away from her. In the end, it just backfired on him.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20100514/NEWS01/5140313/1002

Father charged with abusing daughter
By Sharahn D. Boykin • Staff Writer • May 14, 2010

SALISBURY -- A Parsonsburg man was charged by police after his preteen daughter accused him of beating her with a belt after he discovered she had a cell phone, according to charging documents.

Handy T. Cornish, 28, of the 25300 block of East Ranier Drive has been charged with second-degree child abuse and assault.

Second-degree child abuse, a felony in Maryland, carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Cornish was taken into police custody on Monday and released from the Wicomico County Detention Center on a $40,000 bond the following day, according to court records.

Police and a Child Advocacy Center case worker were called to Peninsula Regional Medical Center after receiving a child abuse complaint, according to charging documents.

The victim, his daughter, reported Cornish beat her after he discovered she had a cell phone, and alleged he struck her "countless times" with two different leather belts before leaving her room on May 7, according to charging documents.

Shortly thereafter, Cornish returned to the girl's room and made her write down the names of each contact in her cell phone and struck her five times for each name on the list, according to police interviews with the victim. The victim wrote the names of 11 people and she alleges Cornish struck her more than 55 times.

"When I collapsed on the bed because it hurt, he made me stand up again and didn't count that one because I moved," she told police, according to charging documents.

The victim's injuries included cuts on her elbows, a swollen lower back and marks on her legs and thighs, according to police.

A District Court hearing has been scheduled for June.