Mother charged with child cruelty

A mother who admittedly locked her son in a garage overnight has been given a two-and- a-half-year suspended jail sentence.

The 35-year-old County Antrim woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in court on charges of cruelty and actual bodily harm.

The abuse of the child started back in 1999 when he was seven and lasted until May 2004 when boy's school notified Social Services.

The boy suffered this abuse for five years, during this time he was hit on his head, hands and feet, sometimes with a kitchen roll holder.

His mother also admitted threatening him with a knife, as well as making him write lines after walking lengthy journeys to and from school each day.

A defence lawyer told the court that the mother had been brought up in difficult circumstances, but Judge Tom Burgess said that nothing could excuse what happened to the boy over those years and said he had to take the child's welfare into consideration when sentencing the woman.

He said he was imposing a suspended sentence because he was worried about the guilt the boy might feel about his mother being imprisoned.

The mother's jail term was suspended for four years and it is understood that the boy is currently living with his father.

(EF/SP)