Sometimes the "law" 'fuses the hell out of Spike :-s
Women escape jail over toddler fight
Carole Olver pleaded guilty to inciting the ill-treatment
A group of women who forced two toddlers to fight and filmed them punching each other until they cried have escaped jail.
The four women, all from the same family, goaded the youngsters to hit each other in the face, and when one did not fight they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services.
All four, who earlier pleaded guilty to child cruelty, were given 12-month sentences suspended for two years at Plymouth Crown Court, Devon. They are Zara Care, 21, Carole Olver, 48, Serenza Olver, 29, and Danielle Olver, 19, all from North Prospect, Plymouth. During the fight, both children - a boy and a girl - were at different times reduced to tears and were shouted at to carry on. At one stage the boy was cheered for using a magazine as a weapon and repeatedly hitting the girl around the head, and later a hairbrush was thrown in to the room for them to use.
Passing sentence, Judge Francis Gilbert said he found the film "shocking to watch", adding: "You laughed at them, you mocked them, you swore at them.
"You compelled them to hit each other even though they clearly did not want to. You were cruel, callous, clearly causing the children to hurt each other for your own pleasure."
Care pleaded guilty to causing or procuring the children to be ill-treated in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury and was sentenced to 12 months for each child, to run concurrently and suspended for two years. Danielle, Serenza and Carole Olver pleaded guilty to jointly inciting the ill-treatment of children and were each sentenced to 12 months for both children, also to run concurrently and suspended for two years.
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services. Investigating police officers described the footage as shocking and said that all of those who had seen it were stunned.
Carole Olver pleaded guilty to inciting the ill-treatment
A group of women who forced two toddlers to fight and filmed them punching each other until they cried have escaped jail.
The four women, all from the same family, goaded the youngsters to hit each other in the face, and when one did not fight they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services.
All four, who earlier pleaded guilty to child cruelty, were given 12-month sentences suspended for two years at Plymouth Crown Court, Devon. They are Zara Care, 21, Carole Olver, 48, Serenza Olver, 29, and Danielle Olver, 19, all from North Prospect, Plymouth. During the fight, both children - a boy and a girl - were at different times reduced to tears and were shouted at to carry on. At one stage the boy was cheered for using a magazine as a weapon and repeatedly hitting the girl around the head, and later a hairbrush was thrown in to the room for them to use.
Passing sentence, Judge Francis Gilbert said he found the film "shocking to watch", adding: "You laughed at them, you mocked them, you swore at them.
"You compelled them to hit each other even though they clearly did not want to. You were cruel, callous, clearly causing the children to hurt each other for your own pleasure."
Care pleaded guilty to causing or procuring the children to be ill-treated in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury and was sentenced to 12 months for each child, to run concurrently and suspended for two years. Danielle, Serenza and Carole Olver pleaded guilty to jointly inciting the ill-treatment of children and were each sentenced to 12 months for both children, also to run concurrently and suspended for two years.
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services. Investigating police officers described the footage as shocking and said that all of those who had seen it were stunned.