A Polish woman has been banned from seeing her grandson for three years after being spotted by a social worker hitting the two-year-old child.
Court heard that the 50-year-old claimed she struck the child in order to stop him from crying hysterically.
Weronika Juszcyk pleaded guilty to common assault at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, via videolink from Maghaberry.
Court heard that police received a call from a social worker on September 18 who reported that she saw a woman strike a young child three or four times on the head.
She stated that when she approached the defendant she was dismissive.
The social worker told police that the child did not have shoes or socks on and that he pushed Juszcyk away every time she tried to touch him.
The witness continued to follow the defendant and give updates to officers.
Police arrived to find the child in a buggy crying hysterically.
They spoke to Juszcyk who denied hitting the child and accused the social worker of lying.
When interviewed, the defendant gave no explanation to marks on the child’s back and head or for a cut he had on his lip.
Defence solicitor Pat Vernon stated Juszcyk accepted “slapping” the child but said he was already hysterical.
On the day in question, he said the defendant had gone with her daughter to the doctor’s for her two grandchildren to receive injections.
The two-year-old had started screaming so Juszcyk had taken him outside.
Mr Vernon said the defendant had slapped the child to stop it from crying.
District Judge Bernie Kelly commented: “I can think of only one way in which that would stop it from crying.
She added: “It must have taken some whack to cut a young child’s lip.”
Mr Vernon informed the court that if Juszcyk was released she would be “on the first flight back to Warsaw on Monday”.
Judge Kelly told the defendant “the assault of a young child is a very serious matter” as she sentenced her to two months in prison.
The judge also put in place a three-year restraining order on the child telling Juszcyk: “I think it is best if you stay well away.”
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