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Women who forced toddlers to fight on video escape jail Last updated at 13:05pm on 20th April 2007
A group of women who forced two toddlers to fight and filmed them punching each other until they cried have been given suspended sentences.
The four women, all from the same family, goaded the youngsters to hit each other in the face, and when one did not fight they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".
The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services.
Zara Care, 29, Carole Olver, 48, Serenza Olver, 29, and Danielle Olver, 19, all from North Prospect, Plymouth, were given 12-month sentences suspended for two years at Plymouth Crown Court, Devon.
All four had pleaded guilty to child cruelty charges.
Last month District Judge Paul Farmer said at Plymouth Magistrates Court ruled the court had insufficient powers to deal with them.
"I have seen a video which shows behaviour that I, nor any one else, have never seen before," he said.
The video lasts for seven minutes despite one child tearfully trying to get away after being punched in the face.
Later the child uses a cushion as a weapon repeatedly hitting the other in the face.
Investigating police officers described the footage as shocking and said that all of those who had seen it were stunned.
The women, who are all from Plymouth, pleaded guilty on February 14.
One of them has pleaded guilty to causing or procuring the children to be ill treated in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
The other three pleaded guilty to jointly inciting the ill treatment of children.
The fight was between a baby boy and a baby girl and the women encouraged the two toddlers to repeatedly hit each other.
The little boy, wearing a nappy and T-shirt, is seen crying after being punched in the face by the girl and is told by one of the four women in the room "not to be a wimp" and to hit her back.
The women are heard laughing as the toddlers were urged to keep on fighting.
At one stage the young boy attempts to get away and climb into an armchair at which point the women shouts at the little girl to punch him again.
When she hits him, the boy is urged to fight back but said: "No, I don't want to."
The court heard that when interviewed by police, one of the women said: "I didn't see any harm in toughening them up - I done the same with my own children."
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OMG !! will these sickos ever stop? they all should be neutered! we have enough sick violent people on this earth already and these idiots are creating more ?? Those poor babies should be given to someone who cannot have kids of their own and who actually know right from wrong....Where is social services???? Still hiding in the comfort of some warm office i suppose ????
young at heart Member # 10365
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I remember the original story, it is so sick, some people just shouldn't be allowed to have children.
FairyDust Member # 7138
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I have seen this in the USA. I moved into a brand new apartment that backed up to some low-income housing separated by a very large fence, but I was one the 2nd floor and could see everything that went on over in the "projects." I once watched a group of 20 people do the exact same thing to 2 boys who could not have been over 4. It was really disgusting.
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