MELBOURNE - An Aussie mum was hauled before cops and accused of assault for disciplining her nine-year-old daughter with a wooden spoon.
Claire Davidson was warned by the officers that she risked being charged with “assault with a weapon” after her daughter revealed during a classroom discussion on bullying that her mum smacked her.
According to the Herald Sun, a shocked Davidson revealed a support worker from Yea Primary School had reported her to the police.
“I was told it was assault with a weapon to hit her with a wooden spoon on the bum,” News.com.au quoted Davidson as saying.
The case has sparked a major debate between parent groups and child welfare advocates over smacking.
Davidson said she grew up with a wooden spoon in the house and admitted she and her partner, Joe Oravec, used it - sparingly - on their Year 3 daughter, Anna.
“We only use the wooden spoon and that is only when she is being naughty and we give her fair chance to rectify the situation and we talk her through it,” she revealed.
“I give her three warnings and then it is spoon time,” she explained.avidson, of Flowerdale, said officers at the sexual offences and child abuse unit at Seymour spoke to her daughter.
“She (the officer) said if it did happen again, or was reported to her again, she would charge us with assault with a weapon,” she revealed.
“We are allowed to threaten her with it. We are just not allowed to use it,” she stated.
A Victoria Police spokesman said smacking a child may constitute unlawful assault or lawful chastisement, and each case had to be judged on its merits.We are not going to take every single smacking case to court, but the full facts of every case have to be taken into account,” he said.
Yea Primary School refused to comment on the case for privacy reasons but said the safety and well being of students was paramount.
“Our support staff are on hand to assist students in that regard,” principal Deborah George said.
An Education Department spokeswoman said staff were obliged to report any alleged abuse to authorities.
A spokeswoman for the Minister for Children, Maxine Morand, said the Government had no plans to ban smacking.
“The minister is unaware of the specific details of this case so cannot comment on it,” she said.
And the Australian Childhood Foundation’s Joe Tucci said: “Children should never have to be hurt to be taught a lesson.”"It is not affective in shaping children’s behaviour,” he stated.
Criminal lawyer James Dowsley added: “Just because you are mother or daughter doesn’t make you exempt from the law.”
“There needs to be degrees and you would need to carefully examine each case.
“It comes down to the severity of it. It does happen where parents are charged with assaulting their children,” he added.
Child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said there were better ways to discipline a child.
“I prefer parents not to do it, but I am not going to criminalize them for doing it,” he added. (ANI)
Related News
Gunmen storm Mexican hospital to kill wounded enemiesOctober 7th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - Assailants armed with assault rifles burst into a hospital in the northern Mexican state of Durango and killed three men being treated for gunshot wounds, the state attorney general's office said. Wounded Saturday on the streets of Villa Union, the three men received initial treatment on the scene from the Red Cross and were then taken to the hospital.
Another 'Oz Fritzl' faces incest, child sex charges dating back 40 yrsSeptember 24th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Yet another Josef Fritzl-like case has been reported in Australia, with a man in his 50s being charged with incest and a string a sexual assaults against children over the past 40 years. Victoria Police have revealed that the Gippsland man faces 27 charges, including seven counts of carnal knowledge of a child under 10, three counts of sexual penetration of a child under 10 and one count of incest.
Head of Pakistani Islamist group that India accuses in Mumbai assault put under house arrestSeptember 21st, 2009 Head of group accused in Mumbai assault arrestedLAHORE, Pakistan — The leader of a banned Islamist group that India has accused of carrying out attacks on its financial capital late last year was placed under house arrest again Monday. Pakistani police prevented Hafiz Muhammad Saeed from leaving his home for Eid-al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Two Indian students held for sexual assault in AustraliaSeptember 6th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Two Indian students have been arrested for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl on a train here. The 17-year-old girl (from Gosford) boarded the train in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Social hints can boost helpfulness in kidsSeptember 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Most of us are willing to help a needy neighbour, even at a cost to ourselves. Why do we do it? Because of our social environments when we were children, a new study has found.
Oz mile-high club member charged with assaulting a womanAugust 26th, 2009 MELBOURNE - A member of the most notorious "mile high" club Down Under has been charged with assaulting a woman. Lisa Robertson allegedly assaulted a woman outside a St Kilda restaurant, says a report published in the Herald Sun.
Couple caught up in astronaut assault case plan to marry, no date set for weddingJuly 11th, 2009 Couple in astronaut assault case plan to marryMELBOURNE, Fla. — A Florida attorney says a couple who were rocketed into the public eye because of ex-astronaut Lisa Nowak are getting married.
Booze linked to sexual assault among women in collegeJune 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that nearly 20 percent of undergraduate American women are sexually assaulted during their time in college and that the majority of incidents occurred while they were under the influence of alcohol. Researchers suggest that college campuses need more integrated substance use and sexual victimization risk reduction and prevention programming.
Two more Indians assaulted in SydneyJune 28th, 2009 SYDNEY - Two Australian teenagers in Central Sydney reportedly attacked two Indians late on Saturday night. The attack took place on Bathurst Street.
Woman loses eye in fight over loud partyJune 24th, 2009 GANGTOK - A housewife lost sight in her right eye in a fight with three teenage girls over a loud party in her house in Arithang locality of the Sikkim capital, police said Wednesday. The accused teenagers have been arrested on charges of grievous assault on their neighbour.
Maine mom nabbed in international child porn stingJune 16th, 2009 MAINE - A mother of four young children in Maine was charged Monday with gross sexual assault after British investigators more than 3,000 miles away used the Internet to allegedly catch her in the act of Webcasting a sexual assault of her young child. Julie M. Carr, 30, of Mars Hill, Maine, was arrested at about 11 p.m.
Airlines shaving spoon size, dumping magazines to beat recession!June 10th, 2009 LONDON - Airlines have been shaving spoon sizes and dumping in-flight magazines in a bid to make planes less heavier and save fuel during the credit crunch, reveals the International Air Transport Association. According to Paul Steele, director of the environment at IATA, US' Northwest Airlines axed spoons from its cutlery pack if the in-flight meal does not need one.
Wooden figure of Christ not Michelangelo's work: Art historiansMay 26th, 2009 ROME - A wooden statue bought by the Italian government for 2.5 million pounds and attributed to Michelangelo is a fake, art historians have claimed. he 41cm long figure, named Cristo Ritrovato (Christ Refound) was bought late last year from a private collection and since then has been on a marathon tour of the country.
Brit shopper asked for age proof to buy teaspoons at Asda!May 6th, 2009 LONDON - A Brit shopper was left gob smacked when an Asda shop assistant asked her for an age proof to a set of teaspoons. The lady, who went to the store to stock up on picnic equipment was reportedly informed by the assistant that someone was once murdered with a teaspoon, and thus age identification was a requisite.
National Rifle Association to honour Palin with special Alaska-themed assault rifleMay 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association Foundation will presentAlaska Governor and Senator John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin with a military-style assault weapon next week. The all-white "Alaskan Hunter" is the civilian version of a modified M-4 rifle carried by U.S.
Loading ...