Mom offers girls treats to
beat up schoolmate
Canadian Press
June 20, 2002 02:00:00
REGINA - A mother says she was "stupid" for bribing a group of girls with ice
cream treats to beat up a girl she mistakenly believed had attacked her
daughter.
"What you did was very foolish and now you understand it was a criminal act to
deliberately go out of your way to cause harm to a child," provincial court
Judge Janet McMurtry said during sentencing of the 28-year-old woman.
"I'm sure people hearing this will find it very disturbing. It was based on a
mistake, but even if it hadn't been ... you had no justification in being
involved in this matter and taking the matter into your own hands."
The woman pleaded guilty to assault. McMurtry sentenced the woman to nine months
probation and ordered her to take parenting classes and perform 25 hours of
community services.
Crown prosecutor John Stoesser said the woman mistakenly believed that one of
her daughter's schoolmates had deliberately kicked her daughter in the ribs.
A day later, on May 28, 2001, the woman approached a group of eight-, nine- and
10-year-old girls in front of the Albert Scott Community Centre and told them
she'd give them ice cream treats if they chased and beat up the girl.
Three or four girls accepted the offer. They surrounded the young victim and
threatened to beat her up, Stoesser said. The girl fled to a nearby aunt's
house, but before she reached the house, one of the girls chasing her punched
her in the arm.
"There was no injury, but she was scared," Stoesser said.
Police were called and charged the woman with assault. The school dealt with the
students involved in the incident. "I felt stupid for what I did, for talking
these kids into beating up a little girl for what she did ... when it was an
accident," said the woman.
She said she was upset by what had happened to her daughter and that the school
and police did not do anything about it, so she decided to "get back" at the
young girl.
She said she's apologized to both the girl and her parents.
