Jail time (child assault)

[SimplySteveRedux]

*An 18-year-old squeezed the child's chest, brought its legs together and threw a PlayStation controller at its foot in anger as the tot was crying.

But his actions left the child with four broken ribs, two broken legs and a broken foot.

He was 16 when he did it, has been sentenced to 10 months in a young offenders' institution, suspended for 18 months.*

Surely, surely, this mandates jail time. What would he have had to do to get an immediate custodial. Joke.

Two lines from poor reporting, does not give the whole hearing, circumstanced, prosecution and defence.

Call me balanced, I like to hear everything so I can make my own judgement rather than feed from salacious snippets designed to get the reader frothing

I don't agree it's enough. And does it mention him having therapy to work through what made him to such a thing?

Reasons related to abuse suffered IS a thing. Let me bare myself to explain. I've suffered abuse as a child and abuse in relationships. Some of what I've been through is too traumatic to talk about. I've had help, specifically when I became pregnant the first time, to help break the cycle of abuse. But I've had to work extremely hard to help me to react appropriately to various situations because some people genuinely do learn some awful reactions to situations, thanks to certain kinds of abuse, usually prolonged abuse.

I will not try and excuse this individual; I would be horrified he wasn't put away somewhere out of sight if that had been my baby. I'd want him treated for whatever problems he had and also made to realise exactly what he had done, and what else could have resulted from his actions too.

Lots of questions here. Was he the baby’s father? Why was he with the baby? Where was the mum? (Though this is probably not on her, depending if she chose babysitters carefully.)

The force he must have used is shocking. On a defenceless baby. The sentence seems unduly light.

Poor kid. Hope this doesn’t happen again to them.

I agree it's awful, and a kneejerk is that they should be locked up and if it was my child injured I'd be out for blood.

But. Prison is only effective as a deterrent to stop crimes being committed in the first place. (or to protect the public for the length of the incarceration, obviously) it's proven that the rate of recidivism in those given prison terms is higher than in those not imprisoned.

If the assessment of this offender is that he's not a danger in terms of reoffending (i.e. This process has scared the shit out of him sufficiently) then locking him up could actually be creating a greater problem later down the line.

It's not palatable, I know, but it's the difference between justice and revenge.

That’s horrific, I was abused as a child and I was also depressed/anxious in my teens - it never crossed my mind to hurt anybody, let alone a defenceless child!

Not condoning it for one minutes but we are all different and the effects of abuse and upbringing have a different impact on all of us as individuals.

The same thing, has a different impact on you.

I work in HR... we had someone who was off sick for over a year after her DF died. Her manager told me when his dad died...he only had a week off.

You see on MN women going on antidepressants/ suffering from depression when their DH cheats... while others kick him out and immediately file for divorce, never looking back.... some ppl question why you'd let a cheating idiot bring you to your knees like this.

Any mental health professional, will tell you the same life event or trauma affects ppl differently...so just because you were sexually assaulted...or beaten up and would never do the same...doesn't mean nobody else who was a victim would.

I'm not saying abuse doesn't have an effect, simply that the line is trotted out far too often as a "maybe".

I'm obviously extremely sad for anyone who has suffered abuse.

There are practically no details n the link. I think we need to consider the court had access to the full facts. We don't.

The child has mental health issues and there is practically no details for us to go on, the court had full access to all facts and witness/professional statements.

His actions are abhorrent, and the court made the sentence with the information they had.

I'd bet money on the fact he will reoffend.