Dad who beat 5-year-old son during access time keeps visitation rights, escapes jail time (Wodonga, Australia)

What a coincidence. After posting about out-of-control Australian fathers, this case comes up. UNNAMED DAD beat his 5-year-old son in what even the magistrate admits was an "atrocious" fashion. Yet daddy is spared jail, and gets the usual useless parenting and anger management classes. All this obviously took place during dad's access time. We know this because of references to Daddy's roommate, Daddy's separation from the mother, and the fact that Daddy now has supervised visitation--supervised by the mom, who very likely has been abused herself by this creep. So now we have a mom who is at risk too? Why does Daddy get even supervised visitation? Why does the trauma have to continue? Because, as we're told, it's so important for this boy "to have a continuing relationship with his father."

Bull crap.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/violent-dad-spared-jail/2283045.aspx

Violent dad spared jail
07 Sep, 2011 12:00 AM

THE actions of a Wodonga father who repeatedly struck the bare bottom of his young son with a household broom have been described by a magistrate as “atrocious”.

The Wodonga Magistrates Court was told yesterday the man became enraged at his five-year-old son when they shopped at a supermarket in April.

The man struck the boy on the bottom so hard that his feet lifted off the ground.

After returning home, the child was forced to watch his younger sister eat her dinner while he was allowed only dry Weet-Bix.

Later that evening the man held the victim down under water in the shower, the court was told.

Police said he also took the boy out to a garage, pulled down his pants and laid him over a lounge chair.

He used a broom to hit him across the bottom until his housemate intervened.

The boy has a developmental disability and is being assessed for autism.

Five days after the incident the boy’s mother, who is separated from his father, noticed bruises across the child’s lower back and bottom.

When asked where he had got the injuries the boy said, “Daddy hit me with a broom”.

Magistrate Stella Stuthridge sentenced the father-of-two to eight months’ jail, but suspended the sentence, after he plead guilty to intentionally causing injury and aggravated assault against a minor under 15.

Ms Stuthridge said the assault was made more distressing for the victim because it occurred in a garage.

The man’s lawyer, Greg Duncan, said his client regretted what he had done, and would attend courses in anger management and parenting.

Mr Duncan said, since the attack, the man’s contact with his son had been restricted to supervised visits with the child’s mother.

“He is trying to make peace with the child,” he said.

“And the child, to his credit, is having a continuing relationship with his father.”The man, who suffers from a learning disability, had previously worked pushing trolleys and stacking shelves at a supermarket.