Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Dad violates mom's restraining order, injures 3-year-old daughter with brick (Mercer County, New Jersey)

Why are we so sure this wasn't intentional? And does it really matter? Dad EDWARD SMITH injured his 3-year-old daughter when he decided to heave a brick through the glass sliding door at Mom's house. He wasn't supposed to be there since she had a restraining order. He also broke into her home and smashed her cell phone and stole her car. Just goes to show how domestic violence and child abuse go together like peanut butter and jelly for these guys.  
http://www.njherald.com/story/16645960/police-father-throws-brick-hits-young-daughter


Police: Father throws brick, hits young daughter

Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:48 PM CST
Updated: Jan 31, 2012 7:48 PM CST

BRICK, N.J. (AP) - Authorities are seeking a New Jersey man who they say injured his young daughter when he threw a brick during a domestic argument with the child's mother.

It doesn't appear 25-year-old Edward Smith of Hamilton Township (Mercer County) was intentionally trying to injure the 3-year-old, who was struck in the face by the brick. It knocked out a tooth, and she needed stitches for a cut on her upper lip.

Brick police tell the Asbury Park Press (http://on.app.com/AcVhu4) Smith went to his ex-girlfriend's apartment Saturday night, violating a restraining order. Smith left when the woman told him to leave, but then grabbed a landscaping brick and threw it through a glass sliding door.

He then allegedly re-entered the apartment and broke the woman's cell phone before stealing her car.

Police: Dad used young son as "human shield" during altercation involving loaded gun (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

The star of our latest Daddy Drama: KEITH J. CERNEY

http://thegazette.com/2012/01/31/police-say-father-used-son-as-human-shield-during-altercation-involving-loaded-gun/

Updated: 31 January 2012

Police say father used son as ‘human shield’ during altercation involving loaded gun
Cedar Rapids man facing assault, child endangerment charges

thegazette.com

Police said a Cedar Rapids man who had a loaded handgun in his possession used his young son in an attempt to protect himself during an altercation early Sunday.

Keith J. Cerney, 24, of 1518 12th Ave. SE, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon after the incident at his residence, police said. The young boy was not hurt.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said Cerney and his son’s mother returned home around 4:30 a.m. Sunday and began arguing while their son and the babysitter were at the house. The mother called relatives, who came over to the house.

One of the relatives, Kizzie S. Eison, 31, of Cedar Rapids, tried to intervene in the argument. Police said Cerney got out a loaded revolver, pointed it at Eison’s chest and said “I’m going to kill you.”

During the incident, police determined Cerney used the gun to strike Eison in the chest, but no rounds were fired. The two wrestled over the weapon, and at one point, Cerney picked up his young son and used him as protection from Eison, police said.

Police said Eison punched Cerney in the face, causing a cut to his right eye, and was able to get the gun away from him, police said.

When officers arrived, Cerney was in the house and claimed to be the victim in the case, police said. Eison had left, but returned with the gun still in her pocket, police said. Witnesses disputed Cerney’s claims.

Cerney was arrested at the scene and taken to the Linn County Jail. He was no longer in custody Monday afternoon.

Dad charged with felony child abuse of 18-month-old son; boy in critical condition (Pascagoula, Mississippi)

Dad is identified as MATTHEW WARREN BARIA.

http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/01/sheriff_big_point_father_accus.html

Sheriff says Big Point father injured his child; baby clings to life in Mobile
Published: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 12:08 PM
Updated: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 12:18 PM
By Cherie Ward - The Mississippi Press ThFollow 6

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- An 18-month-old child is in critical condition with multiple injuries and Sheriff Mike Byrd said investigators believe the boy's father is to blame.

Jackson County investigators arrested Matthew Warren Baria, 34, of Big Point, on Tuesday and charged him on a felony child abuse offense, Byrd said.

"That baby is in bad shape," Byrd said. "It will be a miracle if he survives."

Baria was arrested in connection to deputies responding to his Carters Road home for a medical emergency involving his son late Thursday night, Byrd said.

"Something about his story just didn't add up," Byrd said.

The sheriff said Baria told investigators his son fell from his crib and hit the floor.

"But, there is no way that baby could have fallen out of the crib and had the injuries he has," Byrd said.

Byrd said the child had a severe head injury and was immediately airlifted to the University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital in Mobile.

Byrd said the infant also had choke marks around his neck and bruising all over his body," Byrd said.

"You don't get choke marks around your neck falling from a crib," Byrd said.

Byrd said doctors had to remove a portion of the infant's skull to relieve brain swelling.

"The child is currently in very critical condition." Byrd said. "A sibling, a 3 year old child, was also removed from the home and is in state Department of Human Service's custody."

Byrd said the reason the older child was removed from the house is the children's mother was not home when investigators arrested Baria.

"She was at her father's house," Byrd said, noting the couple is married. He said the children's mother has been cleared from wrongdoing by investigators.

"The older child could be released back to her custody," Byrd said. "It just sickens me when I see a child treated like this."

Baria is currently in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center pending a bail hearing. The charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison and $10,000 fine.

"And we're going to push for the maximum penalty," Byrd said. "We're going to push for life."

Drunk dad assaults mom during visitation, abducts child armed with shotgun (Brookstead, Australia)

In Australia, any dad with a pulse pretty much gets child custody rights/visitation on demand. This is the result. You have a violent substance-abusing father like UNNAMED DAD, who gets "his rights" to a preschooler without any consideration for the safety of others. When Mom arrives to pick up their son from visitation, Daddy assaults her in some kind of drug-induced rage and smashes her windshield. Armed with a shotgun, Daddy then takes off with the 3-year-old.

How does the media react? They nervously reassures us that this wastrel didn't make any (direct) threats against the child.

So? Are you people idiots? What kind of assurance is that?

Luckily, the child is found three hours later and is apparently "unharmed" (this time). Physically, I suppose they mean. In terms of psychological impact, you tell me how a 3-year-old would react to seeing his Mommy being beaten up, and Daddy taking off with him in some kind of scary rage while brandishing a shotgun.

So how has this been handled by the authorities? CLASSIC DADDY CODDLING.

Daddy's arrested and charged with lots of stuff. But he's in jail for ONLY ONE NIGHT before being let out on bail. That's sure saying a lot about how much you value the safety of mothers and children, isn't it? It's basically saying you don't.

But they wagged their finger at Daddy and told him not to bother Mom anymore! (Big deal). And they sternly informed him he wasn't to drink or drug anymore, and that they were going to do (random) tests just so Daddy knows they really mean business! (Even bigger freaking deal.)

But notice what we DON'T SEE in this article, which is that Daddy's visitation has been revoked. Nor is there any mention of taking Daddy's guns away. Even though we know these orders are basically unenforceable, it doesn't appear that the authorities even bothered to go through the motions.

So it appears that Mom and the child will continue to be put in harm's way so this criminal can continue to exercise his "rights" as a father.

This tells you everything you need to know about the triumph of fathers rights in the west. And the elimination of everyone else's.

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2012/02/01/armed-dad-flees-with-son/

Armed dad flees with son
Lacey Burley | 1st February 2012

A BROOKSTEAD father has been banned from drinking alcohol and taking drugs after he armed himself with a shotgun and drove off with his three-year-old son.

The incident on Monday night sparked a statewide child abduction alert and huge response from police including multiple general duty crews, detectives and the police dog squad.

The three-year-old boy had been visiting his father, 28, at his residence when the child's mother arrived to take the boy home.

An argument broke out between the pair and the offender assaulted the woman.

Police said he also smashed the windscreen of the woman's car.

He was armed with a pump-action shotgun and drove off from the property with his son about 6.30pm.

He did not make any threats against the boy's safety.

Police searched the area for the man's white 2010 Toyota LandCruiser.

Police issued a statewide child abduction alert at 8.15pm and requested media broadcast the vehicle description and registration every 15 minutes.

Officers located the man and child hiding back at his house three hours later.

The boy was unharmed.

Officers also discovered cannabis and a drug utensil inside the man's home.

He was arrested and charged with common assault, wilful damage, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a dangerous drug and utensil, and breach of a domestic violence order.

He was held in custody overnight and appeared in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday.

Defence solicitor Brad Skuse applied for bail on behalf of the man.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist granted the man bail with strict conditions including having no contact with the complainant woman or her father.

He must also subject himself to random alcohol and drug testing by police.

Dad gets 20 years for violent beating of 2-week-old son; baby left with serious disabilities (Joplin, Missouri)

Dad is identified as DWIGHT W. PIERCE. He was babysitting when this vicious assault took place.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1669707950/Joplin-father-s-beating-of-baby-draws-prison-term

January 30, 2012

Joplin father’s beating of baby draws prison term By Jeff Lehr
The Joplin Globe Mon Jan 30, 2012, 07:31 PM CST

JOPLIN, Mo. — A judge assessed a Joplin man 20 years in prison Monday for a violent beating of his 2-week-old son that left the baby with numerous broken bones and bleeding on his brain.

Circuit Judge Gayle Crane sentenced Dwight W. Pierce, 25, at a hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court on a conviction for first-degree assault.

Pierce pleaded guilty Dec. 5 in a plea agreement limiting the prison time he might be assessed to no more than 20 years. He had faced from 10 to 30 years or up to life in prison if convicted in a trial.

Kimberly Fisher, assistant prosecutor, told the court at the hearing that almost two years after the crime was committed on Feb. 27, 2010, Pierce’s son remains confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk or crawl.

A probable-cause affidavit filed at the time stated that Pierce became upset with the baby’s crying, and punched the infant in his stomach, on a leg, in his lower and upper back, and on the back of his head.

“He then picked him up, twisted his head back and forth, and dropped him to the floor from a standing position,” the affidavit reads.

The document stated that the baby suffered skull fractures and bleeding on the brain. The blows also broke a clavicle, a wrist, an ankle and six ribs.

A Joplin Police Department report stated that the mother of the child, Tiffany Tosh, left him with Pierce at his apartment on Byers Avenue while she went shopping with a friend. She returned later that afternoon and found the child suffering injuries.

Police were called to the Freeman Hospital West emergency room after the parents took the injured baby there for treatment. The child later was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

The police report states that Pierce was interviewed at his apartment after leaving the hospital and the next morning at the Joplin police station. The affidavit stated that he admitted causing the injuries to the child.

Drunk dad avoids jail for assaulting 13-year-old son (Keighley, England)

Such a surprise. An UNNAMED DAD with a history of alcoholism and violent behavior assaulted his 13-year-old son while intoxicated. And what did the boy do to provoke such an attack. He showed up wanting food! The gall! (sarcasm alert). And yet Daddy's still coddled by the courts.....

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/keighleynews/9501763.Drunken_Keighley_dad_avoids_jail_for_attacking_son__13/

Drunken Keighley dad avoids jail for attacking son, 13
9:00am Tuesday 31st January 2012
By Jenny Loweth

A drunken father who seized his 13-year-old son by the scruff of the neck and banged his head repeatedly against a wall has been spared a jail sentence.

The Keighley man, who cannot be named to protect the boy’s identity, pleaded guilty to causing him actual bodily harm on April 2 last year.

He attacked the boy in front of his younger brother when they turned up at his home because there was nothing to eat at their mother’s house, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Joanna Butler-Savage said the boy told police he did not like his dad because he was drunk and violent.

He said he ordered him out of the house, grabbed him by the neck of his top, dragged him into the hall and pushed him. He seized him by the arm, banged his head repeatedly against the wall and slapped his face.

The man pushed his son out of the house and told him not to come back.

The boys went for help to their mother’s neighbour. They were hungry and one was sobbing, Miss Butler-Savage said. His mother took the older boy to hospital for a check-up. He had suffered a lump, scratches and reddening.

The boy told the police: “I was frightened when my dad was hurting me.”

The court heard his father accused his son of being violent and abusive when the police interviewed him.

The man had convictions for assault and causing actual bodily harm to his partner.

His barrister, Jayne Beckett, said the man’s offending was caused by drink and he had taken steps to address the problem. He voluntarily attended Project 6 in Keighley and was receiving help from his probation officer.

He no longer saw his children and they were in no danger from him.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC, said: “Violence against children is an awful thing.”

He was sentenced to an intensive community order with 12 months’ supervision, an alcohol treatment requirement and a three month overnight curfew.

“Think yourself extremely fortunate,” Judge Stewart told him.

Custodial dad pleads guilty to child abuse in death of 7-year-old daughter (Monument, Colorado)

Finally! We're finally seeing a judge acknowledge the screwy history that's been behind this case since the beginning. We're just starting to take a peek here at how an abuser daddy like HANIF SIMS managed to attain and maintain custody of a child. How Daddy (and the new gal pal) were being "investigated" for child abuse back in New Jersey, but how they were never found accountable for anything they did. CPS in Colorado messed up as well, though that's not explored here. Previous newspaper accounts have said that the mother back in New Jersey lost custody when she was (intentionally?) not informed of the court dates. Typical NJ corruption and incompetence....

http://www.gazette.com/articles/sims-132598-murder-first.html

Father pleads guilty to child abuse resulting in death
January 30, 2012 12:04 PM
LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE

A former Monument man accused in the murder of his 7-year-old daughter pleaded guilty to a lesser count Monday, a week after a judge cited what he called “stunningly sloppy police work” on the case.

Slated to begin trial Monday, Hanif Sims took a last-minute plea to child abuse resulting in death, averting courtroom battles over a tape that proved Sims never made a confession that authorities said he did.

Sims, 31, faces 27 to 40 years in prison rather than the automatic life term he would have received with a murder conviction.

Prospective jurors were thanked and released from their subpoenas Monday — marking an unexpected end to a trial that was expected to last up to a month.

Whether “sloppy work” by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office led prosecutors to sign off on Sims’ 11th hour plea deal wasn’t clear because prosecutors Margaret Vellar and Sharon Flaherty declined to comment, citing a gag order.

Sims will be sentenced April 14 by 4th Judicial District Judge G. David Miller.

Sims’ former girlfriend and co-defendant Monique Lynch has already been sentenced to 27 years in prison. She also eluded a first-degree murder charge in the case — by agreeing to testify against Sims at trial.

After Lynch made the deal with prosecutors last year, they dropped the murder charge against her and filed a first-degree murder count against Sims, citing new details that Lynch provided as a condition of the plea.

The couple have blamed each other for causing the girl’s death, leaving investigators with disputed accounts of what happened. An autopsy found that the girl, Genesis, died as a result of a homicide but didn’t determine how, with an El Paso County coroner saying her body was too decomposed. Genesis had been wrapped in plastic and left in the crawl space months before Sims and Lynch were arrested.

Sims and Lynch both were implicated in child abuse documented by New Jersey child welfare workers, who testified at pretrial hearings. Prosecutors alleged that Sims and Lynch left New Jersey to avoid the agency’s scrutiny.

According to testimony on the stand, New Jersey authorities determined Genesis was once made to carry her fecal matter to school as punishment for soiling her bedroom. The girl reportedly said she was too afraid to make it to the bathroom.

At Lynch’s sentencing, Miller said there were “many circumstances” in which she could have intervened in acts of abuse by Sims.

The case against Sims was weakened before trial by the revelation that El Paso County sheriff’s detectives made a series of false statements about a confession from Sims.

The proof came in December, when a missing tape turned up and established that regardless of what the detectives said, Sims didn’t confess to leaving his injured daughter to suffer for two days on a bed before she was possibly buried alive.

Sheriff’s detectives Ralph Losasso and Sgt. Robert Jaworksi, who conducted the interview after Sims and Lynch were arrested in Henderson, Nev., and who stood by their claims, were cited by Judge Miller for “stunningly sloppy police work.”

Confronted with the evidence, lead detective Losasso said on the stand he was sleep-deprived when he misinterpreted one of Sims’ answers.

Losasso and Jaworski had previously said they inadvertently destroyed notes of the interview and didn’t record it.

After Miller ordered a review of evidence-gathering practices by the sheriff’s office, a District Attorney’s investigator tracked down a copy of the interview from a Nevada police detective who was in the room at the time — even though Losasso said no one else was present.

After reviewing the record, Miller directed harsh words at the detectives but said he couldn’t determine if they were lying or mistaken.

Miller tossed out other evidence from the interview and ordered that Sims’ attorneys Matthew Werner and Tracey Eubanks would have “wide latitude” to question investigators over the errors.

Eubanks earlier this month offered a glimpse of what a jury might have seen as a result — by pushing Losasso on the stand until he was visibly shaken.

The judge said that dismissing the case would be too extreme a penalty for police misbehavior.

Police: 1-year-old boy dead after being abused by dad (Atlanta, Georgia)

Yet another case of a baby left with a "caretaker" daddy while Mom had to work. Daddy is identified as RYAN EDWARDS. Notice that Daddy Dearest didn't even take the baby to the hospital. Mommy did. After she got home from work. How's that role reversal thang working out for us so far?

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/police-toddler-dead-after-abuse-father/nHLFG/

Posted: 10:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, 2012

Police: Toddler dead after abuse from father

By Amy Napier Viteri

ATLANTA —
A 1-year-old boy has died from serious injuries and his father is in jail, accused of beating him, police said.

Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri spoke with the child's mother who said she never expected something like this to happen.

Toni Brown said she had to make the difficult choice to take her 13-month-old son, Mikkah, off of life support.

The child's father is facing serious charges.

Brown described Mikkah as always smiling and a joy to be around. She returned home Friday after work to find the baby unresponsive after leaving him in the care of his father, Ryan Edwards, 34.

"He had suffered a severe brain injury, fractured skull and severe brain damage, Brown said.

Brown said she took him to an urgent care facility near her Morrow home. Because of the seriousness of his injuries, crews brought Mikkah to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston. She said the news was not good.

"If he did recover, he would be severely handicapped. He would not speak. He would not walk," Brown said.

Clayton County police arrested Edwards and booked him into the Clayton County Jail on charges of child cruelty and aggravated battery.

Brown made the difficult decision to take her son off life support Monday evening.

"I'm devastated. I am, like I said, I have my good moments. I have my bad moments," Brown said.

Brown said she has never had trouble like this before with Edwards.

Mikkah's grandmother, Ruby Huntley, told Viteri she's still trying to understand how this could happen.

"For him to take my grandson. I'm mad, I'm very, very mad," Huntley said.

"Children are innocent and people should pay for hurting the innocent," Brown said.

Edwards is currently in the Clayton County Jail. Investigators said more charges are pending.

Custodial dad of murdered daughter deported to Australia, takes daughter's remains with him (Hickory, North Carolina)

Had ADAM BAKER been a custodial mom, he would have been jailed for years on end if he had allowed the new boyfriend or husband to torture his child in this way. This is one of the few news articles that acknowledges how the so-called Clueless Daddy obtained custody--by exploiting the mom's post-partum depression and leaving Australia ILLEGALLY for the U.S. Daddy didn't even report the murdered girl missing for weeks! Yet all he gets is deportation.....

Clueless, my @$$.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094015/Adam-Baker-deported-Australia-remains-murdered-daughter-Zahra.html

Father of murder victim Zahra Baker deported to Australia... and takes daughter's remains with him

Adam Baker moved to North Carolina illegally to marry woman who went on to kill his disabled daughter

Zahra's remains will be buried in family plot in Australia
By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:43 PM on 30th January 2012


The father of Zahra Baker, who was killed and dismembered by her stepmother, has been deported to Australia with his daughter's remains.

Adam Baker, 33, had moved to Hickory, North Carolina to be with Elisa Baker, whom he had met online and went on to marry.

Ten-year-old Zahra travelled with Mr Baker, who had gained custody of the child when her mother suffered postpartum depression.

But Zahra, who had lost a leg and her hearing to two bouts of bone cancer, soon began to endure abuse at the hands of her new stepmother.

When she was killed, her disappearance was not reported for weeks. Investigators eventually determined she had been killed.

They found her prosthetic leg and parts of her body scattered among animal remains across two counties.

Investigators also found parts of her vertebrae which indicated her spine had been sawed at the neck. They never found the girl's head.

Adam Baker was never arrested in connection with the murder of his daughter.

His attorneys told WSOC that Zahra's remains will be buried in a family plot in Australia.

Baker left the country two weeks ago, after he received a suspended sentence for misdemeanor crimes, the Charlotte Observer reported.

While charges remain against Baker in other counties, his attorney Shell Pearce said he did not think he would be made to return for hearings.

His departure comes after authorities revealed last year that Baker was in the country illegally and officials were organising his deportation.

Elisa Baker, 42, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September last year and was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in jail.

She claimed she had found the child dead in her bed and, together with Baker, decided they couldn't report to police it as he was undocumented.

Adam Baker told his wife he 'would take care of it' and cut up the girl's body in a bathroom, his wife told police. He told his wife he needed her help in finding places to dispose of the body, she said.

Following Elisa Baker’s arrest, police found she had been married to someone else while married to Baker. At the time of the trial, he found out he was her seventh husband.

Dad accused of violently shaking 4-month-old son gets probation (Lisbon, Ohio)

Dad RANDY A. WYLIE makes excuses as to why he can't fulfill the conditions of his case plan. And he still gets just probation for this assault on a helpless infant. More abuser daddy coddling at its finest....

http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/551808/Man-accused-of-shaking-baby-sentenced-to-probation.html?nav=5008

Man accused of shaking baby sentenced to probation
January 31, 2012
By DEANNE JOHNSON - Staff Reporter, The Review

LISBON - A father originally accused of causing "shaken baby" injuries to his child in 2009 was sentenced to four years probation by Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge C. Ashley Pike on Monday.

Randy A. Wylie, 26, currently residing in Boardman, pleaded no contest in December to a first-degree misdemeanor endangering children charge. In a plea agreement, the charge had been reduced from a second-degree felony endangering children charge, which could have led to up to eight years in prison.

Assistant Prosecutor Tim McNicol had asked Pike for a six-month jail sentence for Wylie. He also stated the child's mother was in the courtroom and was in agreement Wylie should serve some jail time.

McNicol had agreed to reduce the charge after his medical expert and the defenses medical expert had each come up with distinctly different explanations for the then 4-month-old baby's injuries.

Defense attorney Richard Hura described Wylie as a father who when his son was in the hospital and they were looking for explanations for the seizures, had tried to come up with many possible explanations. Wylie had reportedly offered that he had aggressively picked up the child once and had also accidentally bumped his head off a door frame. Hura offered that many parents have accidentally bumped their child's head and he felt confident Wylie would not repeat his mistakes.

"I would never harm my child purposely," Wylie said to Pike, adding that the media coverage has caused people where he used to live in East Palestine to give him a hard time about this. "I did not do this. I love my child. All I want is my child."

Hura said Wylie is currently working his way through a case plan with Children Services, one that requires him to take anger management and parenting classes, hold down a full-time job and have a stable home. Wylie found a full-time job shortly after his felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, Hura said.

Hura showed video clips and photos of Wylie playing with his son during a supervised visitation, the only times he sees the child since the charges were filed in 2010. McNicol pointed out Wylie had not seen his son since the video was taken before Christmas and had not completed the classes. Hura contended if Wylie attends the visitations during the day he cannot work, therefore he would lose his job. He also added the classes are only offered so often.

Pike cautioned Wylie as part of his probation he is expected to finish the requirements in his Children Services case plan and be of general good behavior. The consequences of not doing so could still lead to him spending six months in the county jail.

Police: Dad admits to violently shaking 3-month-old daughter (Santa Barbera, California)

Another case where was the "caretaker" daddy was "frustrated" by normal infant crying. Dad is identified as NATHANIEL MCKNIGHT. No mention of the baby's mother. Another case where Mom was working while Daddy was playing stay-at-home?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.ksby.com/news/santa-barbara-police-father-admits-to-violently-shaking-3-month-old-baby/

Santa Barbara Police: Father admits to violently shaking 3-month-old baby
Posted: Jan 30, 2012 4:42 PM by Shelby Rhodes
Updated: Jan 30, 2012 5:29 PM

A 24-year-old man faces child endangerment charges, after admitting he violently shook his 3-month-old baby.

The Santa Barbara Police Department said it was contacted on January 27 by Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, to investigate a possible child abuse case. The hospital told police the baby girl had been brought in unconscious the night before, but showed no external injuries. Police said the baby was suffering from hemorrhages on both sides of her brain. The baby's doctor told police this type of injury under these circumstances is almost always associated with violently shaking babies.

The baby's father, Nathaniel McKnight, was interviewed by police, and admitted to violently shaking his baby while angry with her for crying. Police said the shaking caused the baby's head to snap back and forth.

The baby is in stable condition.

Dad in custody battle cuts throats of twin 3-year-old daughters (Richmond, Virginia)

We just posted on this case, but here we see additional verification that these murders were custody related (e.g. an extension of the abusive father's obsession with power and control). Once again we see that for dads like ROBERT KING, child custody has NOTHING TO DO with wanting to nurture and raise children. It has everything to do with punishing/hurting the mother. Securing child custody is just the next step in their control/abuse agenda. From that mindset, slaughtering the kids works just as well as stripping the mother of the babies she gave birth too. In fact, for these guys, killing might even work better, since it allows them to give free reign to their bloodlust/ultimate control-over-life-and-death fantasies. And it means that Mom will never see the kids again in this lifetime.

A father with this history (paranoia and verbal abuse) should have NEVER been granted weekend visitation or any access at all. But once again, we see how fathers rights friendly policies rule the day. And once again, we see the results of this systematic coddling....

http://www.newser.com/story/138650/dad-in-custody-battle-cut-throats-of-twin-daughters-3.html

Dad in Custody Battle Cut Throats of Twin Daughters, 3
Robert King found dead with his girls in his Virginia home


By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 31, 2012 12:08 AM CST

(Newser) – A Virginia man in the middle of a custody battle for his 3-year-old twin daughters funneled carbon monoxide into his suburban Richmond house and cut the throats of his girls and himself. Police aren't certain yet whether the gas or the cuts killed the three. The twins' mother called deputies, and was found sobbing on her knees in the driveway. "My babies are dead," she told officers. Before they could enter, deputies had to first break windows to ventilate the house, which was filled with fumes from a flexible tube Robert King, 40, had attached to the exhaust pipe of his car. He placed the other end of the tube in the bedroom where the three bodies were found.

King filed for divorce last year, claiming wife Kristina Hooper had abandoned the family. Hooper argued in court that she was driven from the home by King's paranoid behavior and verbal abuse, which made "living conditions intolerable," reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The girls, Madison and Caroline, lived with Hooper, but were spending the weekend with King when he killed them.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Dad in court over death of 5-month-old son (Peterlee, County Durham, England)

Dad is identified as LEE CLARK.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9499922.Father_in_court_over_baby_s_death/

Father in court over baby's death
8:40am Monday 30th January 2012
By Duncan Leatherdale

FATHER accused of killing his baby son made his first court appearance over the weekend.

Lee Clark was released on bail after appearing at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court in Peterlee, County Durham on Saturday morning.

During the 20 minute hearing, Mr Clark, 27, who was wearing a grey polo shirt and jeans, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

He is accused of the manslaughter of five-month-old Charlee Cameron Clark.

Charlee was admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital with serious head injuries on February 25 last year.

The infant, who lived with his parents at a house on Neville Close in Gainford, between Barnard Castle and Darlington, was rushed to a specialist unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for treatment.

The child died from his injuries the following Tuesday, March 1, prompting the arrest of Mr Clark and an 11-month long police investigation.

He answered his bail on Friday, and was then charged by police.

Mr Clark’s bail conditions mean he must now live at the home of a family member in Fife, Scotland, and report every Wednesday lunch time to Cowdenbeath Police Station.

He will remain on the conditional bail until his next court appearance, which is due to take place at Newcastle Crown Court on the morning of Wednesday, February 8.

Dad arrested after infant son discovered with broken arm (North Platte, Nebraska)

UNNAMED DAD. No mention of a mother in this home. Was there one? Or is this a single daddy?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8eea4e78302e43d5a541fb540c296dd1/NE--Father-Arrested/

20-year-old North Platte father arrested after infant discovered with broken arm
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: January 29, 2012 - 6:27 pm
Last Updated: January 29, 2012 - 6:27 pm

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A 20-year-old North Platte man has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse after medics discover his infant has a broken arm.

North Platte television station KNOP-TV (http://bit.ly/ziW0lv) reports that emergency workers were called to the man's home Friday afternoon and discovered a 3-month-old baby with a broken arm.

The medics then called police, who believe the infant's father is responsible for breaking the infant's arm.

Charges refiled against dad for "allegedly" killing 8-month-old son (Monroe, Georgia)

Dad DEANGELO TREMAINE WILSON was a convicted felon even before he "allegedly" murdered his infant son. It appears he suffocated the baby so he'd stop crying and Daddy could sleep. Where was Mom? Working to support his lazy felon @$$?

http://waltontribune.com/news/article_cc038b2e-491d-11e1-bcac-0019bb2963f4.html

Charges re-filed against Monroe father for allegedly killing 8-month-old son

Posted: Sunday, January 29, 2012 12:00 am

By Stephen Milligan

A Monroe man remains in jail after new charges were filed in the death of his 8-month-old son in 2010.

DeAngelo Tremaine Wilson, 32, of 406D Plaza Drive, Monroe, had been scheduled to appear in magistrate court Thursday for a bond hearing but remains in jail after a new charge of murder was levied by the district attorney’s office.

Wilson had previously been charged with murder, cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and a probation violation after being arrested Oct. 14. Wilson was charged with the crime in the Dec. 6, 2010, death of his son, Dyuntre, which had originally been listed as an accidental death but left police concerned after evidence collected in the child’s autopsy.

Wilson went before a judge in a preliminary hearing last year for the three charges, where the murder charge was dismissed due to lack of evidence, leaving him clear to post bond.

But, after being placed on the court docket for a bond hearing Thursday, Wilson was forced to withdraw his request after assistant district attorney Peter Boehm said new evidence was found to draw up a new warrant on the malice murder charge.

Police accuse Wilson of suffocating his child with a pillow found in the crib, claiming Wilson complained of the child’s crying and wanted him to sleep.

A neighbor called 911, telling police Wilson had come complaining his son wasn’t breathing, and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and performed CPR on the child before taking him to Walton Regional Medical Center, where the infant was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner allegedly found signs of abuse on the child, including a broken rib and bruising on his head and back, leading to the initial charges.

Wilson remains in custody and will continue to stay in the Walton County jail while awaiting trial.

Dad kills twin 3-year-old daughters in murder-suicide (Mechanicsville, Virginia)

Dad ROBERT E. KING had a history of abuse, and was "estranged" from the mother of the girls. Exactly the type who goes on to murder the kids just to spite the mother. Which, saidly, is what happened here.

Fathers Rights folks will no doubt make a big fuss about how "discriminated" against this poor double murderer really was. How deprived and mistreated, don't you know. However, let's look at the facts. Except in cases of out-and-out abduction, guys like this are able to murder because the courts have ALLOWED THEM ACCESS to the children, or at least refused to block access.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/jan/30/hanover-records-show-estranged-wife-found-husband--ar-1650274/

Hanover officials say deaths were murder-suicide

 
By: Bill McKelway | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: January 30, 2012 Updated: January 30, 2012 - 11:13 AM

Hanover County authorities and the state medical examiner's office have concluded that all three victims found Saturday at their home near Mechanicsville suffered carbon monoxide inhalation and lacerations to the neck area.

Authorities ruled the deaths a murder-suicide.

Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Whitley said this afternoon that his department would not release a specific cause of death but that each of the victims, twin 3-year-old daughters, and their father, Robert D. King, died either from the lacerations, the inhalation of the deadly gas or a combination of both.

"We're not going to get into the specifics beyond that because of the nature of what happened" and out of respect for the family, Whitley said.

According to a search warrant filed today, the mother of the twins, Kristina Hooper, King's estranged wife, entered the house and found the three together before calling authorities.

The search warrant describes how Hooper lifted up one of her daughters, finding her cold to the touch, and then placed her back down before calling 911. It was not clear how Hooper was able to negotiate the carbon monoxide fumes, which police vented from the home by breaking windows.

Whitley said there is no indication that an intruder was involved in the killings and that there is no effort under way to locate a suspect.

From earlier reports

A man and his 3-year-old twin daughters were found dead in their Mechanicsvile home Saturday by the man's estranged wife, according to court documents.

A search warrant affidavit and divorce petition records on file in Hanover County Circuit Court this morning indicated Kristina Hooper found the bodies of her two daughters and her husband in a front bedroom that had been linked to the exhaust pipe of a van parked outside the Mechanicsville house.

The court records said Hooper called 911 at 3:36 p.m., and when Hanover County deputies arrived at the house in the 7900 block of Wynbrook Lane, just off Mechanicsville Turnpike, they found Hooper in the driveway “crying on her knees and stating, ‘My babies are dead. They’re in the house.’ "

Deputies also found a van backed up near the residence with flexible duct tubing attached from the exhaust pipe “which continued into the bedroom” where the three were found, the court papers indicated. When authorities tried to enter the house, “they were initially overcome by fumes and began ventilating the residence.”

Among the items investigators recovered at the house, according to the court documents, were blood-stained sections of duct tape tubing, a wallet and two notes of unspecified content.

Declared dead at the scene were Robert D. King, 40, and Caroline R. King and Madison R. King. Hanover County authorities have declined to discuss how the three died.

The three bodies were taken to the medical examiner's officer in Richmond, where autopsies were scheduled for today.

Court records indicated Hooper married King in March 2008 and their twin daughters were born Aug. 15 of that year.

The couple's divorce petition indicates Hooper left King on Sept. 28, 2011, and has been living in the 5000 block of Pole Green Road.

The divorce file indicates Hooper deserted the family in September, claiming he had been verbally abusive to her and he refused to leave, so she did

Friday, January 27, 2012

Dad jailed for two months for sexually abusing 11-year-old daughter (Timmins, Ontario, Canada)

Utterly disgusting. What UNNAMED DAD did to this child. And the wagging-finger sentence that the courts gave him. Was there a mother in this home? Sure doesn't sound like it.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3451547

Dad jailed two months for sex abuse
By RON GRECH, QMI AGENCY
Updated 9 hours ago

TIMMINS -- A 61-year-old man tearfully apologized to his daughter in a Timmins court Wednesday after admitting he had sexually abused her as a child.

The victim was 11 years old at the time.

The man was sentenced to two months in jail, six months of house arrest and two years of probation after pleading guilty in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Timmins to invitation to sexual touching, indecent exposure and voyeurism.

The subject of the father's voyeurism was a young friend of his daughter who stayed at the house for a sleepover.

The offences occurred over a period of a few months in 1990 when the family lived in the West Nipissing area.

The family moved to Timmins not long after those offenses occurred.

The daughter's victim impact statement was read aloud to the court.

"A father is someone who is supposed to protect" their child from abuse.

Instead, "innocence was taken from me" by her own father. "I trusted that person and loved that person with all my heart."

The daughter said she kept this secret for 20 years. Throughout that time, it haunt her and she suffered nightmares as a result.

In 2010, she notified the Timmins Police Service and filed a complaint against her father.

The court imposed a publication ban protecting the identity of the father since it would indirectly lead to the identity of the primary victim.

Assistant Crown Attorney Dale Cox said the trouble started when the daughter arrived home from school one day, entered the bathroom and caught her father masturbating.

Defence lawyer Ted Tichinoff described it as "purely bad luck that she walked in while he was" pleasuring himself.

Cox said, "That was the start of similar activities happening in her presence."

There were further incidents where he exposed and stimulated himself in front of his daughter.

The prosecutor cited another occasion where the father encouraged his young daughter to watch pornographic videos with him.

He then "directed her to disrobe" and "touch her vaginal area."

The voyeurism charge stems from a single incident involving a nine-year-old female friend of the daughter.

Cox said the two girls were sleeping in the same bed during a sleepover when the father came into the room in the middle of the night and woke up the young guest.

He told her the family cat she had been handling was sick and she needed to thoroughly wash herself.

Cox said the girl "was certainly old enough to wash herself." However, the father insisted that he remain in the bathroom as the girl disrobed, "with her genitals in full view," and watched as she cleaned herself.

Judge Robert Riopelle said this sleepover should have been a happy memory for the two girls.

Instead, "that event is so badly scarred by something" the offending father "did in another huge breach of trust."

Riopelle said under the circumstances, he could easily justify imposing a jail term of 12 months.

However, the judge accepted the joint recommendation of the prosecution and defence attorneys and handed down a lighter sentence of 60 days in jail followed by six months of house arrest.

The accused will be permitted to serve his 60-day jail term on weekends in order to retain his job.

The defence lawyer, Tichinoff, said the accused is not in very good health and he is very frightened of going to jail.

"This 60-day sentence (of real jail time) speaks loud and clear."

Tichinoff further justified the sentence by saying the incident occurred over a "relatively brief period," the offender has no criminal record and he has been undergoing psychological counselling.

Prosecuting attorney Cox said one of the mitigating factors for him was that "right from the get-go" when police arrested the father, he admitted to his offense and expressed concern about putting his daughter through any more pain.

The court heard he gave up his right to a preliminary hearing because he said he didn't want to put his daughter through the ordeal of being called to the stand and testifying against him.

The two years of probation begins right away since the father is serving an intermittent sentence.

Throughout that period, he is prohibited from having any contact with his daughter unless she agrees to amend the order.

The court also made an order that the father's name be added to the national sex offenders registry.

Grand jury indicts custodial dad accused of binding, caging daughter (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Read this carefully. Seems JAMES TAPKE is a custodial dad. Though you don't see confirmation of that till the last paragraph when you read that Daddy has been stripped of his legal rights to his daughter, and custody has been handed over to....his parents. Oh, right. The same people who raised this torture freak. What happpened to the mother? Who knows? It's not reported here. These days, moms are always erased from stories like this with no comment whatsoever.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.wlwt.com/r/30316277/detail.html

Grand Jury Indicts Man Accused Of Binding Daughter
Girl Bound With Duct Tape, Placed In Cage

POSTED: 1:04 pm EST January 27, 2012

CINCINNATI -- A grand jury indicted a man accused of binding his daughter with duct tape and locking her in a dog cage.

James Tapke, 41, was indicted Friday on one count of unlawful restraint, a charge that carries a possible 60-day jail term.

Tapke was accused of restraining his 12-year-old daughter's hands and feet Jan. 10 using a duct tape before placing her in a dog cage. Then, investigators said, while his daughter was in the cage, Tapke dropped small amounts of water on her face.

"While the initial allegations were shocking, I think that the grand jury made the correct call," said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. "This definitely does not rise to the level of a felony. Fortunately, the victim was not injured. Referrals have been given to the family to help with the family dynamics that gave rise to this situation."

According to court papers, the girl was in the cage for about 20 minutes before her 13-year-old brother let her out. When she got out, authorities said the victim poured water on her father's head and in his ear.

Tapke then bound his daughter again with duct tape and put her back in the dog cage, investigators said, and while she was in the cage, Tapke told his son to go to the garage and retrieve an electrical jump pack so he could electrify the cage. The girl's brother brought the jump pack and sat in front of the cage so his sister could see it, investigators said.

Tapke never attempted to electrify the cage, but investigators said he told his daughter several times he should.

Tapke let the girl out of the cage, and her grandmother assisted her with taking off the duct tape, authorities said. During the entire incident, authorities said the girl's brother and her father took pictures of her in the cage.

Her brother posted the pictures on Facebook, investigators said, but the pictures have already been deleted.

The girl was sent to live with her maternal grandparents in Springfield Township, and prosecutors said Tapke's legal rights to the child were stripped and turned over to his parents.

Drunk dad convicted of killing 3-month-old son; judge to sentence (St. Peter, Minesota)

Dad CHRIS FARRIS has been pleaded guilty to the "unintential murder" of his infant son. Seems Daddy violently shook the baby, and then bit him (?) when he ceased to respond. Of course, his enabling parents say he's an "excellent father." Aren't they all....

I always bite people when they cease to respond to me. Makes me very popular at parties. Don't you do the same?

http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x431312226/Fathers-fate-still-unknown-judge-to-decide-prison-time-in-February-in-baby-death-case

January 27, 2012

Father's fate still unknown; judge to decide prison time in February in baby death case

By Robb Murray
The Mankato Free Press
Fri Jan 27, 2012, 02:49 PM CST

ST PETER — In an emotional court hearing Friday, family members of an infant who was killed by his father pleaded with the court to impose a harsh sentence, while Chris Farris and his attorney pleaded for leniency.

In the end, neither got they wanted. At least not yet. Nicollet County District Court Judge Todd Westphal said he'll announce his decison Feb. 14 after reviewing testimony from the hearing, as well as reading written arguments from both sides.

At stake is roughly four years in prison, as Farris is hoping for a 128-month sentence, while prosecutors and the baby's family are hoping for 180 months, or 15 years.

Keisha Moniz, 3-month-old Dawson's mother, testified, as well as Allison King, the child's grandmother, each characterizing Farris as an often-drunk, aggressive man who was not a good father.

Brad Peyton, Farris' attorney, offered a Powerpoint presentation that featured audio from Farris' parents talking about their son, and from a woman who is the mother of two other children of Farris' (he had two with Moniz,) who called Farris an excellent father, and urged Westphall to minimize the amount of time he is away from the children he has with her.

Dawson had stopped breathing one day in September of 2010 and Farris drove him to the hospital. After a criminal investigation, it was revealed Farris had violently shaken the child and bit his cheek when he stopped responding.

Dawson was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. He later was charged with several felonies in connection with Dawson's death, but pleaded guilty to unintentional murder.

Dad apologizes for killing 2-year-old son during visitation; blames his heroin usage (Pretoria, South Africa)

Given that dad SIBUSISO PHETLA never apologized to the little boy's mom, the sudden courtroom remorse seems a little forced. Methinks Daddy just wants to keep his @$$ out of prison. Notice that Daddy was the one requesting (insisting upon?) visitation from the custodial mother. Unfortunately, she relented. Since every child needs a father and all. Um, yeah.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/01/27/dad-apologises-for-murder

HomeSouth Africa

Dad apologises for murder
PERTUNIA RATSATSI | 27 January, 2012 00:30

A Pretoria father convicted of killing his two-year-old son yesterday told the Pretoria High Court that he was sorry and pleaded that he be sentenced to correctional supervision.

Sibusiso Phetla's son died after being admitted to hospital in an unconscious state with a fractured skull, arms and legs, a ruptured liver and burn marks on his body.

He sustained the injuries while he visited his father for a few days in Lotus Gardens, Pretoria, in 2008.

Phetla, 29, told the court that he had taken the infamous drug "Nyaope", a street name for heroin, the day before the child died but said he had no idea how the injuries occurred on little Solomon Maditla.

Phetla had asked to spend a few nights with Solomon, who lived with his mother, Ouma Maditla. He claimed that some of the injuries could have occurred while Solomon was in the care of his mother before he was brought to him, but medical reports showed that the injuries were fresh.

He claimed that some of the burn marks were probably caused when a heater "fell" on the child.

The fractures, he said, were probably the result of the child falling off the sofa.

During the trial two doctors testified that the burn marks were caused by something like an iron, while the blisters across the boy's body were probably caused by boiling water and that the fracture to the skull was, in their opinion, caused by some blunt-force trauma.

He also contracted pneumonia, which the doctors said was consistent with someone who had suffered a fractured skull.

Through his legal representative, advocate Mike Ramoshaba, Phetla said he started using drugs at an early age and was an addict.

He asked the court to have mercy and said that he was willing to get help and be rehabilitated outside prison. He told the court that he loved his son.

In a psychological report compiled by psychologist Sunette van den Heever, Maditla (the boy's mother) said she was still angry and sad. She said Phetla never apologised to her for the death of her son and she could not forgive him.

State prosecutor Grace Mosethla said Phetla killed a defenceless child and showed no remorse and that he should be sentenced accordingly.

Judge Vivienne Tlhapi convicted Phetla of murder, but she could not find that it was premeditated. Phetla will be sentenced today.

Police: Dad hit 4-month-old son in face; baby now has fractured skull and no brain activity (North Miami, Florida)

Dad is identified as YOSI MAHLAB. No mention of where Mom was when Daddy was "allegedly" smacking the baby around.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.local10.com/news/Police-Father-hits-baby-in-face/-/1717324/8545248/-/i9t5f8z/-/index.html

Police: Father hits baby in face
4-month-old boy has no brain activity

Author: Melissa Harrold, Senior News Editor, Local10.com
Published On: Jan 27 2012 11:19:48 AM EST Updated On: Jan 27 2012 01:57:09 PM EST

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. - A man faces child abuse charges after police said he hit his 4-month-old son in the face, causing the baby to hit his head on a nightstand and break his skull.

Police said Yosi Mahlab, 30, called 911 on Saturday to report that his 4-month-old son, Javon, was unconscious.

The child was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where doctors found he had a skull fracture, subdural bleeding, a retinal hemorrhage and bleeding in the brain, police said.

According to police, Mahlab admitted that he hit the baby in the face twice, causing the child to slip off his lap and hit his head on a night table.

Police said doctors found that the baby has no brain activity.

Mahlab was arrested on child abuse charges. He is being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail on $200,000 bond.

Dad jailed for 12 years for sexually assaulting three kids over 10 years (Leeds, England)

UNNAMED DAD sexually assaulted his kids every Saturday night after their mother left the house to visit her sister. This happened for ten years. Yet the kids never told till they were adults...and that's after Daddy decided to confess to his sister and she went to the authorities.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/father_who_abused_his_own_children_jailed_1_4179977

Father who abused his own children jailed

Published on Thursday 26 January 2012 08:25

A FATHER has been jailed for more than 12 years after a court heard he sexually abused his three children so regularly on a Saturday night, they grew to dread that night of the week.

Although events were happy and normal on other nights the two girls and their brother knew what would happen to one or more of them when their mother went to visit her sister that night of the weekend.

Philip Adams, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday the abuse spanned about a 10-year period from 1973 but the children felt they could not speak out, and even when they were adults and spoke for the first time together they decided to remain quiet for the sake of their mother.

But he said the offences came to light last year after their father told his sister what he had done and the police were informed.

An investigation began and the trio then described their childhood ordeal, revealing how their father would indecently assault them while washing them in the bath and make them touch him sexually after he had a bath.

One girl said she knew what would follow when he told her to bring the cleaning fluid to the bathroom.

He also accepted simulating sex with one of the youngsters in the bath. The boy said his sisters suffered more attention than him.

One of his sisters said she was also made to touch her father in front of her brother on occasions while they were watching television downstairs.

In a victim impact statement one said: “A dad should be someone who you can put your trust in, who does not betray your trust.”

Jailing the 63-year-old grandfather from Leeds for a total of 12 and a half years, Judge Sally Cahill QC told him: “It appears every Saturday night was a night these three children came to dread.”

She said when their mother went out “you targeted these three children and used them for your own purposes.”

While there was no physical coercion there was emotional pressure because “you were there father which meant these children had no choice whatsoever.”

The father admitted 14 charges of indecent assault and 14 of indecency with a child.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Custodial dad to serve 20 years for murder of 7-month-old daughter (Roanoke, Virginia)

Insanity. That's what it is when young clueless, testosterone-fueled dudes like CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS are given custody of an infant. He was still living at home (i.e. not financially independent) and didn't support his girlfriend/ex-girlfriend during her pregnancy in any way, shape, or form (apparently didn't even KNOW about the pregnancy, which SHOULD tell you something about either his character and/or the situation). Obviously, there was NO marital commitment or personal commitment of any kind to the child or the mother.

The girlfriend, who was probably very young as well, realized she couldn't care for a baby adequately and tried to find another home for the baby. That's when Daddy swoops in.

The courts SHOULD have realized that this dude was no better prepared than she was, and probably worse, given that young men--as a general rule--are not tempermentally inclined towards the demands of infant care. (Notice how one of Daddy's buddies punched the courthouse wall after the trial. This is how many young men when "provoked" tend to act.) But no. Thanks to fathers rights and "equal parenting" ideology, young dudes like this are given infant custody. And then they end of maiming or killing the baby with clueless bull**** like throwing them around like footballs at a frat party. Why are we perpetually surprised? 

Periodically, I remind Dastardly readers that virtually every study of shaken baby deaths (now more frequently referred to as abusive head trauma) shows that fathers dominate as perpetrators, followed by boyfriends and stepdads (e.g. other male caretakers). Don't believe me? Search under "statistics" at this site. Or under "shaken baby."

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/303976

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Dad to serve 20 years in infant's death

Christopher Saunders told an investigator that the child slipped through his grasp after he tossed her in the air.

By Neil Harvey

Friends and family members were vocal in their dismay Wednesday afternoon in Roanoke Circuit Court as a young father was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of his infant daughter.

Christopher Lloyd Saunders, 21, who in October pleaded no contest to felony homicide in the death of 7-month-old Arieya Michelle Lindsey, shook his head slowly as Judge Charlie Dorsey found him guilty and gave him 40 years, the maximum allowed, to be suspended after he serves half that. Upon his release, he'll be on supervised probation for 10 years and will be restricted from contact with anyone younger than 18 during that time.

As part of Saunders' plea agreement, prosecutors did not pursue an additional charge of felony child abuse.

Saunders' mother wept openly as he was led from the courtroom.

"Love you, boy," spectators called from the gallery. "Love you, Chris."

One of Saunders' acquaintances punched a courthouse wall and cursed the ruling as he left the building.

The homicide charge against Saunders stemmed from an incident in July 2009, when an emergency crew was summoned to Saunders' parents' Roanoke County home. There, they found Arieya on a bedroom floor, no longer breathing.

Prosecutors in October 2011 said Saunders' statements to doctors and detectives afterward had varied, but he eventually told an investigator he had tossed the child in the air and she had slipped through his grasp and fallen to the floor.

Saunders also told the detective he slightly shook the baby, but prosecutors said a hospital physician found that Arieya had suffered extensive bilateral retinal damage that indicated she had been violently shaken. A medical examiner's report concluded that "this child was subjected to repeated abuse."

Just three months before Arieya's death, in May 2009, emergency crews had been called to aid the child after she reportedly fell out of bed. She was treated for three broken ribs and a bruised torso, which Saunders said had been caused when he performed CPR.

At the October plea hearing, Saunders' lawyer, public defender Anna Bagwell, argued that Saunders' statements to medical staff and police were consistent with his daughter's injuries.

"Arieya was by all accounts well-nourished and cared for," Bagwell said.

Saunders met Arieya's mother in 2008, when they both worked at Kmart. Contact between them dwindled after their brief romantic relationship ended, prosecutors said, and Saunders didn't know of his daughter's existence until after she was born, when Arieya's mother gave the child to foster care. When Saunders learned about the girl, he opted to raise her himself, according to prosecution and defense accounts.

Dad to be tried for sexual abuse of teen daughter (Romulus, Michigan)

UNNAMED DAD. No mention of a mother in the home.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120126/METRO01/201260398/Downriver-firefighter-tried-alleged-sex-abuse-daughter?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

January 26, 2012 at 1:00 am

Downriver firefighter to be tried in alleged sex abuse of daughter

By Candice Williams The Detroit News

Romulus — A Downriver firefighter accused of sexually abusing his teenage daughter over the course of several years was bound over to Wayne Circuit Court on Wednesday.

The man, 48, of Romulus, waived his right to an exam Wednesday afternoon before 34th District Judge Brian Oakley in Romulus.

The 16-year veteran of the River Rouge Fire Department has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under age 13, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child 13-15 years of age, and one count of child sexually abusive material.

The man's name isn't being released because The News doesn't identify sexual abuse victims.

Police said the man's daughter reported in December that her father allegedly forced her to engage in sex acts, including intercourse. The girl also reported her father took nude photos of her.

Defense attorney Ron French said his client has no criminal history.

"He's been a good man all the way through," he said.

The suspect is out on bond but on a GPS tether and will appear for an arraignment Feb. 1 at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit.

Oakley granted the prosecution's request for DNA testing, but denied their request to reinstate a $250,000 bond.

Dad on trial for raping daughter, stepdaughter (Bradford, England)

UNNAMED DAD. No mention of a mother in this home.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/9493111.Girls____given_choice_of_sex_or_beating____court_hears/

Girls ‘given choice of sex or beating’ court hears
8:00am Thursday 26th January 2012 in
By Steve Wright

Two girls, who were alleged to have been sexually abused by their violent father for years, were given a choice of sex or a beating, a Court heard yesterday.

The Bradford dad fathered three children by his daughter and stepdaughter when they were in their mid-teens, Bradford Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Kitty Taylor told a jury the girls lived in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear over a number of years, during which they submitted to his sexual demands.

Mrs Taylor said the alleged victims lived in a dysfunctional and violent environment in which family values were blurred and corrupted by the defendant.

She said the defendant was a “violent, aggressive and controlling” parent, which went beyond reasonable chastisement of children. They would be beaten if they did not have sex.

Mrs Taylor told the jury: “To put it bluntly, they were offered a choice of a beating or sex, and on many occasions they chose the latter, rather than get a beating.”

The 51-year-old man pleads not guilty to nine sample charges of rape against the two girls, and two charges of child cruelty, involving both girls.

Mrs Taylor warned the jury: “It is not a case for the faint-hearted. You will hear evidence that may disturb or upset you. But you must try this case on the evidence you hear and not the emotion you may feel.”

The prosecutor said there was no dispute the man fathered the children by his daughter and stepdaughter, but the defence case would be that it was consensual.

But she said that, in a prepared statement the man gave to police, in which he denied raping or any physical abuse, at no stage did he assert consensual relationships.

Mrs Taylor said the rape charges were samples and the girls alleged the sexual abuse took place frequently.

One described him as “manipulative and controlling” and the other said he would use a belt or stick on her.

Mrs Taylor said the man made his children become members of a religious order and punished them if they did not go to church.

She said he would hit them if they disobeyed him. He would beat, slap, or hit them, particularly with a belt with a buckle, leaving marks on their flesh.

“The girls were frightened and scared of him,” Mrs Taylor said.

The trial continues today.

Dad charged with assaulting 6-week-old infant (Rochester, New York)

Dad is identified as THOMAS MULARI.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120126/NEWS03/701269951

Father charged with assaulting infant

Published Jan 26, 2012 at 7:40 am (Updated Jan 26, 2012)

ROCHESTER - A local man is accused of injuring his 6-week-old baby.

Thomas Mulari, 19, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree assault. His arrest came after police opened an investigation Tuesday night when they were called by Frisbie Memorial Hospital personnel concerning an injured infant.

Police did not disclose what kind of injury the baby suffered saying the child's injury is considered protected health information.

Mulari is being held on $10,000 cash/surety bail in the Strafford County jail, pending arraignment Thursday in 7th Circuit Court, District Division, Rochester.

The infant is in the custody of the mother.

Bond set for dad accused of severely beating 2-year-old son (Jasper County, Texas)

Dad is identified as ELVIN TYRONE COLLINS. Note that the injuries were observed by daycare workers, and that there is no mention of a mother here at all. Even for failure to protect. Is there a mother in this household? I always wonder when the media omits any mention of the one who actually gave birth to the child in question.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.kfdm.com/news/jasper-46791-child-newman.html

Bond set for father accused of beating, injuring son with belt
January 26, 2012 8:36 AM
Scott Lawrence

JASPER COUNTY - by Steve W. Stewart/KJAS - Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman said on Tuesday that a man is in custody, and accused of beating his 2-year-old child so severely with a belt that he left injuries on the toddler.

Sheriff Newman said the investigation began on Monday when workers at a Jasper day-care reported the injuries on the child.

According to Newman, Lieutenant Kenneth Stanley observed bruising on the boy's face, hands, buttocks and legs, and he also noted that the child's hands were swollen.

Newman said an investigator interviewed the child's father, later identified as 34-year-old Elvin Tyrone Collins, of Jasper, and Newman said Collins admitted that he did assault the boy.

Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Mike Smith issued a warrant for Collins and he was later arrested.

Collins appeared before Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Brett Holloway on Wednesday and was officially charged with assault, and injury to a child with intent of bodily injury. His total bond was set at $50,000.00, and at last word he remained in the Jasper County Jail.

Dad is suspect in murder of 5-year-old son (Wakefield, England)

An UNNAMED DAD (even though the murdered boy is identified), and a strange lack of any mom.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/murder_detectives_quiz_father_over_death_of_boy_five_1_4175879

Murder detectives quiz father over death of boy, five

Forensic officers collect evidence from the house on Aberford Road, Wakefield
By Rob Preece Crime Correspondent
Published on Wednesday 25 January 2012 10:12

A man was being questioned by detectives last night on suspicion of murdering his five-year-old son, who died after being found injured in a Yorkshire house.

Paramedics were called to the semi-detached house in Wakefield, but were unable to save Haroon Ahmed, who died in hospital.

His 34-year-old father, who has not been named, was arrested after the ambulance service called in the police to the Aberford Road house at about 11.40am on Monday.

The case is being investigated by detectives from West Yorkshire Police’s elite Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.

The boy was taken to nearby Pinderfields Hospital but died from his injuries.

It was unclear last night how the boy had been harmed. Police forensic officers remained at the house to gather evidence as the inquiry moved into its third day.

Neighbours said the property was bought two years ago by a man of Asian origin, who had started renovating it.

“He kept himself to himself, he was working on the house most days,” one said. “I think he may have moved into the house a few months ago, but I have never seen a child in the house.”

A couple living nearby added: “An Asian man bought the house about two years ago and was renovating it. He was friendly. We said hello now and then.

“He mentioned he may be bringing some family to live in the house, but wasn’t sure, and never mentioned this again.

“As far as I knew, nobody was living in the house. It was dark at night and I never saw a child, a woman or a family at the house. It’s a mystery.

“The last time I saw him was last Thursday when he was locking up the house for the night.

“It didn’t seem like anybody was living in the house or why would he be locking it up?”

A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said inquiries were continuing.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Dad in custody for severe beating of 2-year-old son (Jasper County, Texas)

UNNAMED DAD and no mention of Mom.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.kfdm.com/news/child-46756-newman-jasper.html

Sheriff Newman: Toddler injured after father beats him with belt

January 24, 2012 3:29 PM
Scott Lawrence
JASPER COUNTY - by Steve W. Stewart/KJAS -

Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman said on Tuesday that a man is in custody, and accused of beating his 2-year-old child so severely with a belt that he left injuries on the toddler.

Sheriff Newman said the investigation began on Monday when workers at a Jasper day-care reported the injuries on the child.

According to Newman, Lieutenant Kenneth Stanley observed bruising on the boy's face, hands, buttocks and legs, and he also noted that the child's hands were swollen.

Newman said an investigator interviewed the child's father, and he confessed that he did assault the boy.

Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Mike Smith issued a warrant for injury to a child, and the man was arrested. He is currently in the Jasper County Jail awaiting formal charges and arraignment, his name has not yet been released.

"Loving" dad avoids jail for battering 3-month-old daughter (Kent, England)

Dad JAMES HORTON was babysitting while Mom was visiting friends. Then this "loving" daddy "lost his temper" and broke the arm of his infant daughter. Then it came out, uh, that the baby also had healing rib fractures, which suggested this wasn't the first time Daddy had battered the baby. So Daddy now has "supervised contact" and the baby is in foster care. It's not clear here why the mother no longer has custody of the baby. But it's not uncommon for mothers to be punished for the sins of the father, whether she knew about the abuse or not, or whether she was even around at the time of the abuse or not. By contrast, when abusive or neglectful mothers are prosecuted, absent fathers are virtually never mentioned. It's just assumed they aren't responsible for the actions of the mothers. 

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/january/25/baby_batterer.aspx

Dad James Horton avoids jail for battering baby
by Keith Hunt

A young dad who lost his temper and broke his baby daughter’s arm was told he had has escaped a jail sentence by the skin of his teeth.

James Horton was sentenced on the basis he was a loving father who had a momentary lapse of control.

He was not being punished, said a judge, for several older fractures baby Scarlet was found to have to her ribs.

The 27-year-old former Maidstone schoolboy, of St Theresa’s Close, Ashford, was given a suspended sentence of just under a year with 250 hours unpaid work and two years supervision.

Horton denied cruelty to a person under 16, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and a lesser offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

He was convicted in November of inflicting grievous bodily harm by an 11-1 majority and cleared of the other charges.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the child was just three months old when she was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford on March 30 2010.

He had been looking after Scarlet while her mother was visiting friends.

He later claimed the injury to the child’s upper left arm may have been caused by her getting tangled up in the bars of her cot.

Horton, who left Swadelands School in Lenham with six GCSEs before working on the railway, denied he had harmed his daughter in any way.

Asked if it was true he had assaulted and mistreated Scarlet, he replied: "No, of course it isn’t. I loved her."

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said he made it clear that while it was a disturbing feature she was found to have historic injuries, he was being sentenced on the basis it was a single offence and he did not intend to cause serious injury.

"I sentence you on the basis the injury was the result of a sudden and momentary loss of control on your part," he said.

"Plainly, she was vulnerable. At the material time she was in your care and wholly dependent upon you."

The child, now in foster care with Horton having supervised contact, had recovered, he added, with no ongoing complications.

"Good" dad charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter; baby has broken ribs (Trenton, New Jersey)

The "good" dad is identified as JOHN TETI. Of course, you have the usual folks insisting he's really a great guy, even though it doesn't appear there are any other suspects in this case. That's often referred to as Denial. Is there a mother in this home? Sure doesn't sound like it, as there is no mention of one.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/upper-township-father-charged-with-assault-after-hospital-workers-discover/article_f6078acc-46d6-11e1-b5a5-001871e3ce6c.html

Posted: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 1:20 am | Updated: 5:50 am, Wed Jan 25, 2012.

Upper Township father, 24, charged with assault after hospital workers discover baby's broken ribs

 
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer
AtlanticCity.com

UPPER TOWNSHIP — Police charged a father of two children with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury after he allegedly fractured the ribs of his 3-month-old daughter.

State Police in Trenton said John Teti, 24, of the township’s Petersburg section, was arrested and charged Monday with assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

The family took the child to Shore Medical Center in Somers Point on Sunday for treatment of a respiratory illness when doctors discovered at least six and as many as eight fractured ribs, some of which were in the process of healing, State Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Polite said.

“The injuries are believed to be from multiple incidents,” Polite said.

The New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services alerted police about the child’s injuries.

Police allege that Teti caused the infant’s injuries. He was in the Cape May County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of $60,000 cash bail.

Teti’s family said they were in disbelief at the criminal charges.

“I don’t want anyone to rush to judgment,” said Teti’s father, John Teti. “He’s not capable of this. I should know. I raised him.”

The elder Teti said his son, a graduate of Ocean City High School, worked as a shift manager at a local convenience store. He served in the U.S. Air Force after high school.

“He loves his children. Everyone who knows him knows he wouldn’t hurt his children,” Teti said. “The facts will come out. Everybody is shocked. He’s a good man and a good father.”

State Police said the infant was being treated Monday at Shore Medical Center.

No additional information was available Tuesday.

Babysitting dad accused of assaulting 5-month-old daughter for crying (Covington, Tennessee)

Dad ROBERT DANIEL BRASCH is out of jail because he confessed to "putting" the baby in the hospital. Why does he get out for that?

http://tiptoncounty.wmctv.com/news/news/68260-father-accused-shaking-hospitalizing-baby

Father accused of shaking, hospitalizing baby
Submitted by Jamel Major
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012, 10:24pm

MEMPHIS, TN-

(WMC-TV) – A Covington father is out of jail after he confessed to investigators that he put his own baby in the hospital.

The five-month-old baby is recovering at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Doctors are running tests to determine the extent of her injuries while investigators try to learn more about what happened to her.

Robert Daniel Brasch, 23, of Ripley, TN, is charged with aggravated child abuse after he told authorities he shook his daughter because she would not stop crying.

"He's the biological father," said Donna Turner, of the Tipton County Sheriff's Office. "The mother was away. That was not uncommon for the biological father to baby sit the child."

Investigators said Brasch told the child's mother the infant had fallen off the couch while he was caring for the child.

"When the mother got home, she noticed the child was acting differently," Turner said.

The mother took the child to a hospital in Covington and then the baby girl was then airlifted to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

Doctors there determined the child's injuries were not consistent with a simple fall from a couch.

Authorities said Brasch later confessed to shaking the infant.

"For anyone to be injured, especially a child at this tender age and the injuries you historically see in these types of cases can result in permanent damage that can affect the child, obviously for the rest of her life," Turner said.

Brasch is out of jail on $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Tipton County General Sessions Court on February 14.

Investigators are not releasing the baby's condition at this time.

Dad sent to trial for murder of 7-week-old son (Cambria County, Pennsylvania)

Dad is identified as JUSTIN MICHAEL CHARLES SR. No mention of the mom, though this was basically a newborn.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1296867370/Suspect-sent-to-trial-for-infant-son-s-death

January 24, 2012

Suspect sent to trial for infant son’s death


Patrick Buchnowski
The Tribune-Democrat Tue Jan 24, 2012, 11:42 PM EST

SALIX — The father of a South Fork infant admitted to police that he broke the boy’s legs and shook him so violently that he became unresponsive and later died, a Cambria County detective testified Tuesday.

Detective Kevin Price was one of three witnesses to testify in a preliminary hearing for 23-year-old Justin Michael Charles Sr., who is charged with criminal homicide.

Seven-week-old Justin Charles Jr. died Dec. 23 at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The boy was declared brain dead and was removed from life support, said Dr. Janet Squires, head of a child-advocacy program at Children’s Hospital, paramedic Chad Stiffey said.

“From the moment the baby arrived, there was essentially no hope the child would live,” Squires said in testimony via telephone.

The infant was suffering from multiple leg fractures, retinal hemorrhaging and subdural hematoma. The boy’s injuries indicated child abuse, Squires testified.

District Judge Rick Varner ordered Charles to county court to face trial. In addition to criminal homicide, he also is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Charles was returned to Cambria County Prison, where he is being held without bond.

Hearing looks into dad's role in death of 4-month-old son (Stockton, California)

Dad is identified as DONALD WILSON. Yet another daddy who was minding the baby while Mom was working.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120125/A_NEWS/201250323/-1/NEWSMAP

Hearing looks into dad's role in infant's death
By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore
Record Staff Writer
January 25, 2012 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - An infant unexpectedly dies under his father's watch.

The child's medical history shows the 4-month-old had been plagued by sicknesses, including a bout of pneumonia around the time of death.

But physicians' opinions indicate a more sinister cause of death.

Donald Wilson, 23, is accused of killing his son, and doctors said the baby had sustained brain damage likely caused by shaking or an impact.

A preliminary hearing began Tuesday for Wilson, who is charged with child abuse resulting in death. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Brandon is the second child fatality of 2011 reported by San Joaquin County Child Protective Services.

The other was a 3-year-old named Noah Morgan, whose stepfather, Joe Anthony Correia of Escalon, has been charged with the death.

According to courtroom testimony, Donald Wilson called for emergency help Aug. 1, when Brandon stopped breathing in a choking episode. The father had been watching the baby that day while the mother worked.
The following day, the baby was transported out of San Joaquin General Hospital to a children's intensive care facility.

Brandon was comatose and was placed on a ventilator, said Dr. Angela Rosas, a pediatric specialist in child abuse and neglect with Sacramento-based Sutter Medical Group. He was completely unresponsive, Rosas said.

Doctors ran a battery of tests on Brandon and then determined he had bleeding in the brain and had sustained abusive head trauma.

San Joaquin County medical examiners concluded the cause of death to be diffused axonal injury, which indicates the damage spread throughout the brain.

Donald Wilson's lawyer, Pittsburg defense attorney Carin Johnson, raises the question whether Brandon's death was caused by ongoing illness.

San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Humphreys is presiding over the preliminary hearing, expected to last more than two days, and will decide whether there is enough evidence to send Donald Wilson to trial.

Dad beat sons with golf clubs because he wanted them to be the "next Tiger Woods" (Burnley, England)

UNNAMED DAD

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9038372/Father-beat-golfing-sons-with-clubs-because-he-wanted-them-to-be-next-Tiger-woods.html

Father beat golfing sons with clubs because he wanted them to be 'next Tiger woods'
A golf-obsessed father who wanted his young sons to be "the next Tiger Woods" beat them with clubs when they fluffed their shots, a court heard.

25 Jan 2012

The 33-year-old dreamed his two boys aged six and eight would both become world champions and would give the children golf tuition at home before school every day and then later at his local golf club or in nearby fields.

But whenever the youngsters played poorly at the driving range, mis-hit a tee shot, missed a putt, or went into the bunker, their pushy father would fly into a rage and beat then with a golf club, Burnley Crown Court was told.

On one occasions he even sank his teeth into and pinched the skin of the youngsters.

Despite the elder child winning a junior golf tournament, he was beaten about the leg with a golf iron when he played a bad shot and also had a ball hurled at him from feet away, gashing and bruising his ear.

The younger child, who was struck in the knee with a ball, was left with multiple injuries, including a scratched eye.

The father from Burnley, Lancs, was arrested after the six year old turned up at school with a mark to his face and distressed and a teacher asked him what had happened.

When police spoke to the boys the children told them they enjoyed golf and said it was ''their job.'' The six year old declared: "We are going to be championship golfers when we get older."

The father's wife was said to be unaware of the pain he was inflicting on their sons, even though the trio had golf lessons in the living room every morning, before school.

She was upset and sobbed when she found out and he had to leave the family home. He is now only allowed contact with his sons by the local authority.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of common assault, in June last year. He was given 52 weeks in jail, suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision.

Sarah Statham, prosecuting, said the dad gave his sons golf tuition before and after school every day and if they did not play well, they would be assaulted.

After the six year old went to school injured last June 10 and told his teacher his father had pinched his eye as they played golf that morning, the authorities became involved. Both boys were taken for medical attention and were interviewed by the police.

Miss Statham said the six year old told officers his father had also grabbed his leg in a " clawing action" and he had been hurt and upset.

The eight year old was struck in the knee with a golf club and his ear was cut after his father threw a golf ball at him, from about four feet away.

A paediatrician who examined the boy found several other injuries to the ear. The six year old had pinching injuries on both hands and his thigh, his face and the top of his scalp were scratched and he was bruised.

Miss Statham said the defendant was arrested and interviewed last June 11 and made out a lot of the injuries were accidental.

In mitigation defence lawyer Miss Carolyn Smith, for the dad, said he was ordinarily very much a family man, who lived for his wife and children.

He had been separated from his family since the offences after the involvement of child protection agencies and that had served as significant punishment already, before the punishment he would receive in court.

The barrister said :" They are clearly serious offences and he does now acknowledge that." She continued :" He had an almost obsessive desire for his sons to become championship golf players."

Miss Smith said the defendant had a "loving relationship" with his sons and had been having contact with them. She continued:"To deny the defendant his liberty at this stage would mean the children would be denied contact with their father."

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant his actions must have hurt the children considerably and said it was "beyond belief" that as their father, he had assaulted his children over golf shots.

She added :"This is child cruelty. It's inexcusable and I do not believe any right thinking person could make any sense of it whatsoever. If you permit your obsession with golf to overcome you again and lay a finger on either of them you will immediately come back before me and I will send you to prison."

Dad accused of abusing, choking 9-year-old son (Waukesha, Wisconsin)

Notice the subtle reference, that the abuse took place "at the residence" of the UNNAMED DAD. This seems to be suggesting that this is a single dad and/or dad with custody/visitation. No mention of a mother.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/lakecountrywatch/138037888.html

Waukesha man accused of physically abusing his son

By Jim Stevens
8:30 a.m. |

Waukesha – A Waukesha man who allegedly uses corporal punishment on his children was charged this week in Waukesha County Circuit Court for hitting his 9-year-old son.

The 46-year-old man was charged with a felony count of physical abuse of a child for an incident that allegedly occurred Dec. 8.

According to the criminal complaint filed Jan. 23, the boy was at his father’s residence when his father became angry as the boy was doing poorly in school and the man accused the child of lying. The boy told police his father got out a belt but did not use it but the man did strike the boy "hard on the buttocks" and grabbed the boy "around the neck from behind and started throwing him around," the complaint said.

The boy told police that he had pain in his neck and jaw and officers did see red marks on the boy’s neck, the complaint said.