Parents Jail Sentence

[LittleButton]

The parents of a bullied teenager in QLD took matters into their own hands and bashed the bully. The judge let the parents off with suspended jail sentences. Was the judge wrong to let them off so lightly?

Vigilante Baker parents bashed daughter's tormentor

A QUEENSLAND couple so fed up with their 14-year-old being bullied at school have narrowly avoided jail after bashing their daughter's tormentor.

Stephen Lester Baker and Suzane Maree Baker took justice into their own hands when they believed Queensland police and Beenleigh High School failed to act on their complaints about the bullying.
The Beenleigh District Court was told yesterday how the pair confronted their daughter's tormentor and repeatedly punched her in the head.

The court was told the Bakers' attack, which took place in a park on April 3, 2006, came after the parents notified the school and police over the repeated bashing and bullying of their daughter.
Prosecutor Nicholas McGhee said the Crown conceded the couple's daughter had been subjected to violent bullying by the girl identified only as Rachel, including an attack in which she bashed the girl's head against a school toilet wall.
But Mr McGhee said Baker, 44, and his wife, 41, had acted like disgraceful vigilantes by attacking their daughter's assailant rather than pursuing the matter through police.
He said the issue came to a head when Rachel and the Bakers' daughter became involved in an after school argument, which involved taunts and pushing.

After the incident in the park, the Bakers and their daughter drove around the area looking for Rachel and a group of her friends in a bid to resolve the bullying problem.

Mr McGhee said Stephen Baker punched Rachel in the head up to four times.

"(Baker told Rachel) 'no one hits my daughter'," Mr McGhee told the court. "(Baker) stated he would kill them if they touched her again."

Suzane Baker then grabbed Rachel by the hair and punched her in the head up to four times, he said.

Barrister Paul Brown, for Stephen Baker, said his client had become frustrated when neither the school or the police appeared to act on the family's complaints.

"Instead of putting (your daughter) in the car and looking for the bully, you should . . . (have been) driving to the police station," he told the Bakers.

"The 14-year-old (Rachel) could/may (still) be subjected to criminal offences (if reported to police)."
Judge Dearden also gave a forceful warning to both families to try to resolve their differences to avoid establishing a long-term feud between them.

Stephen and Suzane Baker were given wholly suspended jail terms of six and three months respectively.

[BreakfastatTiffanys]

It is hard to say, without knowing the full story.....

Would you have a link?

[LittleButton]

Looking now, cant remember where i found it though

[tyler's mum]

It is hard to say, without knowing the full story.....

Would you have a link?

[Aussiemummy]

I think it would deffinately make a difference knowing the whole story, severity of how their son was bullied... what happened to the bully?? Still sad on the parents behalf though!

P.S- Must add, you make some very interesting threads to keep us thinking lol .

[Missy75]

I said it's a fair decission because I would assume the judge was thinking of their own child's welfare. He/she would be pretty mentally and emotionally damaged already, so sending his/her parents to jail would make for one very screwed up kid.

[Silvana]

Just because the crime may be justifiable doesn't make it right.

We have a system of law in place for a reason. It is not there for it to be taken into our own hands.

Bashing another person, for whatever reason is against the law. If we start excusing crimes such as this one, then where do we stop? The majority of murders actually have a reason behind them, do we excuse them too?

Sorry, but to support vigiliantism is wrong. Like I said, there is a system of law and order in place. It doesn't always work but it doesn't give someone the right to take matters into theri own hands.

[FishFace]

I dont think it matters why the parents did it.

There is NO excuse for bashing someone. You cant get away with it because you had just cause.

Its vigilante behaviour and they deserve what they got.
I agree with missy75 it was probably suspended for the childs welfare.

[Ange&Seth]

I think the parents got fed up with nothing being done about the bullying - I think they went too far in bashing the kid but as parents your instinct is to protect your kids and that's what they were doing as the school wasn't doing a thing.

I don't think the parents should have gone to jail but I also don't condone what they did. Imagine this 'ok kid, you've just been bullied for the last *insert time frame here* and now we're gonna put mum and dad in jail and ship you off to a foster home' Yep, that sounds like it's going to make for a well adjusted teenager LOL.

[LittleButton]

Thats the whole story updated