Anybody discussing the single mum who was jailed for 5 months for biting her 5 year old?

[Twiglett]

she said because he hurt the baby

kids taken into foster care

so?

jimjams, fair point about SS/police & I really don't know how this case was taken forwards

After reading this, I would be very wary of admitting any role in an accidental injury to my child. I know this was neither accidental nor appropriate but it still seems extraordinary.

I am aghast that she had aspirations to be a counsellor...with views such as she has on 'he has to be hurt'.

An adult biting a child twice makes me feel physically sick. It's so cruel and animalistic.

This old 'bite them back' wickedness wants dispelling right now.

Blu - there were two marks, that surely means one bite? Agree it was an awful thing to do, but does this punishment fit the crime?

It wasn't clear though whether 'he has to be hurt' meant that that is what she rationally believes or it's her trying to account for what she had done and trying to describe the impulse she had to do it IYKWIM.

You would be stunned at the number of (seemingly sane) people who have suggested I hurt ds1 when he pinches/bites/hits us (by pinching/biting/hitting him back). Of course hurting someone with severe learning disabilities is an appropriate way to teach them

Ironically ds1 is always covered in bite marks. Luckily school know that he bites himself, as he does it there as well as at home - although I do make a point of telling them if he;s had a particularly bad phase. Will be extra careful to now.

She seems mad to have asked her 5 year old to fetch his 8 month old sister though. That seems pretty careless to me and not really fair on the 5 year old.

I think with the bald facts that are in the public arena it is odd she has had a custodial sentence of that long considering she is already taking parenting classes and has pleaded guilty

also new baby makes me wonder about any underlying depression

and the single bite mark didn't pierce the skin .. not condoning it but it does seem awfully strange

it says the 3 previous convictions were unrelated

i

How often do these cases go to crown court though? There must be some family lawyers on here who know this sort of thing.

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not saying it's right or wrong as we obv don't knwo the full story I think there's more to it but this stood out for me

'Judge Horton said the treatment of children was ?the test of a civilised society? and he would be failing in his duty if he did not jail the woman immediately.'

what about criminals who are let free because there's no 'room in the inn' as it were - who have done crimes just as bad if not worse than this lady, surely she would be better helped with additional support all of the classes etc and community service or such at least then the children would be with her.

there's got to be something more severe I feel.

I'm quite wary of assuming that because a sentence seems oddly harsh, the woman must have committed more crimes than are actually being reported. Just imagine if you had been given an unusually severe punishment for something and everyone went 'oh, well, there's no smoke without fire....she must have done something else as well!'

my mum bit me when i was a kid, only once, she said if i bit my cousin again she would bite me. so i did and she did.
i didn't do it again.

i would never do that as i don't think its shows kids the proper way to behave, and its not right imo. but i do think its quite common.
and alot of people do it

If her name cannot be revealed to protect the children, then I wonder what else cannot be revealed to protect them?

The fact that charges were brought and it went as far as the crown court does suggest that there must be something far more serious to this case that potentially cannot be reported for legal reasons.

I don't think it's uncommon for people to suggest biting back if a child bites.

And I also don't think she should be given a lenient sentence purely because she's a "struggling single mother".

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so do you think it is harsh cod?

Like Kathy "I'm quite wary of assuming that because a sentence seems oddly harsh, the woman must have committed more crimes than are actually being reported."

The reporting clearly states she was jailed for 5 months for biting her son...

Me too. Crown Court. Judge who knows bugger all about parenting, stupid sentence. Can see how it can happen.

Incidentally they guy who was high on crack, beat up my dad and drove into his car got less than this (and he was expecting to get away without a custodial sentence).

"I also don't think she should be given a lenient sentence purely because she's a "struggling single mother". "

It isn't that her single mother status somehow leaves her with protection against punishment, but that this particular punishment leaves the children parent-less, wrenched from their Mum and taken to a foster home. It arguably punishes the innocent children more than it does her. (I tok the ref to foster parents to be because she was in prison - not that they had been taken into care because of her actions)

I think it's a harsh sentence - but it is time that biting is seen as totally unnacceptable - no matter how many people's mothers did it in former times.

can you give me some advice please cod? sorry for hijack here

Personally, going from the news articles, I was struck by the fact that

a) the little boy didn't bite his sister, he hurt her getting her off of her bed. To bite to "show biting hurts" was common practice, although not so now. But to bite when the original insult was unrelated is a bit odd, to say the least.

b) the course they talk of her attending indicates that she has wider anger issues.

c) The bite was hard enough to leave a sustained mark.

d) The bite was using, probably, her whole mouth - 3 cms is a big bite.

e) The fact that she had no clear reason for doing so indicates that it was out of control and impulsive.

Blimey. My mum bit me when I bit my younger sister, in fact, I believe she also bit her friends child to teach him not to when in her care. I am astounded that the mother still spoke to her afterwards, but then, she was quite scary.

I agree though, there is probably more to this case.