(158) Spanking children: a Scots shock for the French
On 28 February 2002 a 33-year old French father was convicted in Edinburgh Sheriff Court of assaulting his 8-year old son outside a city restaurant last September (see No 146). He was found not guilty of injuring the child, and was admonished by Sheriff Isobel Poole. She took into account that there was no history of abuse in the French family in question. The father had claimed to be only punishing the child after he had thrown a tantrum in the restaurant. Witnesses stated that the child had been dragged forcibly from the restaurant and had been punched and kicked while lying on the ground.