Getting away with battering a child

[MrsMarzetti]

Would link but don't know how. I have just read in the DM about a father battering his 15 year old daughter outside of her school with a metal pole. No jail time ! What on earth is going on in our country. It seems females can battered, raped or murdered and our courts just turn the other cheek. If men aren't jailed for such crimes surely it sends the message that their behaviour is acceptable?

He got a suspended sentence. With any sentence, there are aggravating and mitigating circumstances that, legally, must be taken into account, and sentencing is just not as simple as people tend to think. The judge takes an agreed starting point for an offence of that nature and then subtracts from it depending on things like remorse, effort shown by the perpetrator to change their ways, lack of previous convictions, circumstances and responsibilities and all sorts of other things.

In this particular case, his sentence was suspended for a number of reasons, one of which was that he no longer lives in the family home and the victim specifically said that she doesn't want him jailed (again, for a number of reasons).

Here’s an article about it, I know it’s the Daily Mail, but still https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12372633/amp/Father-battered-daughter-metal-bar-school-meet-boy-GCSE-exam-jail-mercy-plea.html

It’s absolutely disgusting that he hasn’t gone to jail, he’s been beating her numerous times and even bit her face!

I was shocked when I read that story. The poor girl.

Absolutely disgusting. Someone was afraid of locking the monster up because it was an honour battering. That would be racist.

Reading her pleas make me really sad she is obviously being controlled by her family

This was a very upsetting read - particularly the part in the victim's letter where she said she feels guilty for bringing shame on her family. Poor girl.

Agree with ManateeFair
He's got eight months suspended for 18 months.
I suspect it's more because he's out of the home, he's his wife's carer, he's attended parenting classes, and his daughter says his attitude has changed and specifically asked for him to not be jailed.

This is a battered child who has asked not to be the reason her father is sent to prison.

I have very mixed feelings, I did something far worse to protect my mother from prison.

Should we overrule child victims? And if so, for whose benefit?

Disgraceful and notable that this is what he did to her outside school in plain sight (imagine what went on behind closed doors).
A fifteen year old doesn’t have the capacity to understand the trajectory of domestic abuse (how it always escalates for example) and shouldn’t have been made to defend his ‘honour’ with this nonsense statement.

certainly wouldnt be listening to a child, as you said its brainwashing and if you think hes living out of the house, you have another think coming. He will always rule in that house and the beatings will continue.

I don’t think they should take his daughter’s statements into account when sentencing tbh, because she’s highly likely to have been pressured and emotionally manipulated into saying she forgives him and wants him back home etc by her family, her mum is dependent on him as a carer and was aware he was battering her and did nothing other than say she can wear makeup to cover the evidence up.

It comes to something when bringing shame on your family is via wearing make up not thinking it's OK to beat your child. That does nt bring shame??

According to his defence lawyer, "there is a degree of adapting to this new cultural behaviour for him", which raises the question of what he was like before - or would, except that his terrified DD's statement that he'd "threatened to kill her" suggests he's not changed at all

And why would he, when cultural sensitivities lead to even horrors like this being allowed to roam the streets?

Absolute joke !! So you can beat up your daughter and can't be punished for it because it's racist otherwise !

if you think hes living out of the house, you have another think coming. He will always rule in that house and the beatings will continue

Indeed - and out of interest, how is he his wife's "main carer" if he's not even living with them any more?

Where is the "honour" in this vile creatures actions ? That poor child is so frightened about what her male relatives will do to her if her father is jailed she has begged the courts not to send him down. This should not be happening in the U.K in the 21 century. I really couldn't care less about his medieval views, he is living in a western country in 2023 and therefore needs to behave as such. As for the authorities that are to scared to come down hard on certain sections of the community, shame on them. The law applies to everyone in this country, you should not get a free pass to do as you please because you follow a certain religion. This creature obviously felt above the law, he battered his daughter outside a school in broad daylight because he knew he can hide behind Islam. How many more young girls are battered every day in the U.K in the name of religion ? This whole farce and all those involved from the beast that battered her to the judge that didn't have a backbone make me sick. Shame on every one of them.

'Cultural sensitivity' can fuck right off if it means beating children is condoned or normalised. I'm so sick of this nonsense.

"there is a degree of adapting to this new cultural behaviour for him"

How offensive is that to other men from the same background? Biting? Taking an iron bar to the school gates to attack her? Talk about the racism of low expectations.

Well, quite.
Thankfully, most people of all cultural backgrounds would find this a despicable act. If they didn't, well they should know that to behave like this is punishable.

Next news story on this poor girl will be an honour killing.

She was beaten over her face and body with a steel rod, in public, and had a bite mark on her forehead for fucks sake. And it was years he'd been doing this

He's the carer for her mother (although he lives outside of the home now) and the poor girl has had quite the number done on her, putting her little brother needing a father figure above her own safety.

I'm sorry, at this point I think society needs to step in and say no. Say that this isn't acceptable even if you forgive him. And help her - if her mother needs a carer, I assume that's something that's fallen to her now. She needs support, and an adult stepping into protect her from herself.

I agree.

My thoughts exactly.

The law applies to everyone in this country, you should not get a free pass to do as you please because you follow a certain religion

It's really not about the religion since a true follower of Islam would never behave like this, but it's certainly about the culture - as clearly seen in this poor girl's testimony

Sensitivity around this sort of subject is obviously an admirable thing, but like most things can be taken too far, even to the point where those tasked to protect us are terrified of the consequences of the issue being raised

See also FGM and the (lack of) prosecutions in the UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38290888