A cruel father forced his young son to watch graphic horror film The Ring and ‘disciplined’ him by putting a spider in his mouth, a court heard.
The man also repeatedly hit and shouted at the eight-year-old and pretended to pass out when he got back from the pub in a drunken state to scare the boy.
Swansea Crown Court heard the months of ill treatment were witnessed by a younger sibling of the boy.
Paul Hobson, prosecuting, said the dad – who is from the Swansea area and works in a professional job but who cannot be named – carried out a series of assaults on his son when in drink, including slapping, punching and kicking the boy.
On one occasion the defendant had shown horror film The Ring to his children – a movie the barrister said ‘many adults might find unsettling’ – in order to scare them, with the boy later reporting the film had given him nightmares.
The cruel father would discipline his son by putting a spider in the eight-year-old’s mouth (stock photo)
On one occasion the defendant had shown horror film The Ring, pictured, to his children – a movie the barrister said ‘many adults might find unsettling’ (stock photo)
On another occasion the defendant put a spider in the boys mouth ‘as a form of discipline’, and he had also on one occasion thrown the boy to floor causing him to hit his head.
Matters came to a head when the man assaulted his partner. She was unaware of how he had been treating the children.
The following day the boy told a teacher at his school what had been happening and an investigation was launched.
Mr Hobson said the youngster subsequently told police the way his father had been behaving towards him had made him ‘sad’.
He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty and to a count of assault when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
He is currently on a community order for the battery on his partner.
Nicola Powell, for the defendant, said her client was ‘appalled’ by his own behaviour and was now seeking help for an alcohol problem.
At Swansea Crown Court, the man was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for each child cruelty charge and two months for the assault
Judge Peter Heywood said the physical injuries inflicted by thedefendant had not been serious, but his behaviour had doubtless had an emotional impact on the children.
He said: ‘Children deserve to be protected and loved by their parents.
‘The way you behaved was totally unacceptable – you could not complain if I sent you straight into custody.
‘But immediate custody would frustrate the community order you are on, and the work being done with you.’
The man was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for each child cruelty charge and two months for the assault.
The sentences were to run consecutively making a total of 12 months, which was suspended for 18 months.
He will also have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and complete a rehabilitation course.
The judge warned the defendant that if he breached the suspended sentence he would be brought back before him and he would have ‘no hesitation’ in sending him straight to prison.