A SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A TODDLER GETS ONLY SIX MONTHS!

I have highlighted how the complacent asshole of a judge justified the token sentence

A man who punched, kicked and shook a young child so violently she was left with permanent brain damage has been jailed for a minimum of six months. Brian John Taylor, 36, pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury to two-and-a-half-year-old Rowena Payne on January 15, 1996. County Court judge Tony Duckett jailed Taylor for a maximum of two years but fixed a non-parole period of six months.

Taylor was living in Bendigo in a de-facto relationship with the girl's mother at the time of the attack. Judge Duckett said girl cried out that she had wet her bed about 6.30am (AEST) on the day of the incident. Taylor went into the girl's room and said "say sorry to daddy". When Rowena complied, Taylor punched her in the mouth, kicked and shook her. Her head was flopping and her eyes were turned up when Taylor finished the assault by banging her head twice against the wall.

Rowena suffered a brain haemorrhage and remained in intensive care for six days after surgery for her injuries. She now walks with a limp because of the brain damage that resulted in mild paralysis of the muscles on the left side of her body and impaired intellectual capacity. Ms Payne feared for her safety and Taylor persuaded her not to speak to the police, the judge said....

Judge Duckett said Taylor's record over the past nine years suggested he no longer posed a threat to the community. "Violence against defenceless children, in circumstances similar to those outlined here, is widespread," he said.


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