Woman Gets Two Months’ Imprisonment (Suspended For Two Years) For Disciplining Daughter With A Broom Handle
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Discipline: What is deemed as "excessive"?
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By Alric Lindsay
The Summary Court heard today, August 20, 2025, that a woman who waived a machete in front of her daughter and hit her with a broom handle previously pled guilty at trial to a charge of common assault. In the circumstances, the Chief Magistrate sentenced the woman to two months in prison. However, the sentence was suspended for two years.
Background
According to Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, on September 11, 2024, the mother and her daughter were at home.
Reportedly, while the daughter was getting ready for school, the daughter’s behaviour caused her mother to speak to her about her actions.
Allegedly, the daughter responded to her mother in a rude manner, including calling her a “mental b*tch” and showing her a middle finger.
The mother reportedly reacted by grabbing a machete, following which the daughter ran off and fell to the ground. While the daughter was on the ground, the mother allegedly hit her several times with a broom handle.
DPP Crown Counsel explained that, as a result of the incident, the daughter suffered abrasions to her knees and elbows.
In terms of sentencing, DPP Crown Counsel suggested that the crime should be categorised as category 2, with a starting point of three months and a range of five to six months.
DPP Crown Counsel said further that there appeared to be an element of a breach of trust in that it was discipline that went beyond what was legitimate in the circumstances.
Arguing on the mother’s behalf, Defence Counsel Amelia Fosuhene described how times appear to have changed over the years in terms of what discipline was considered the norm for children who misbehaved.
She suggested that, in the past, West Indian and African mothers would not accept certain types of behaviour from children without punishing them.
She added, “…everything’s being Europeanized so that if your child is as rude as they like, you are not allowed to lift their finger to exercise any kind of discipline.”
She continued: “But we live in the real world, and… parents need to raise their children with a modicum of decency and respect.”
She went on to describe the mother as “loving, caring, kind, but she raises her children as she should, with discipline, with the willingness and hope that they are going to be respectful to those they meet, not cursing them out, showing them the middle finger or calling them mental b*tches.”
Defence Counsel then pleaded with the court not to record a conviction against the mother.
After hearing from legal counsels, the Chief Magistrate acknowledged the cultural importance of child discipline.
The Chief Magistrate accepted that the mother may not have known a better way to discipline, having been brought up similarly.
However, the Chief Magistrate emphasised that the mother’s actions crossed a threshold into “excessive” and harmful behaviour.
In the circumstances, the Chief Magistrate sentenced the woman to two months in prison, suspended for two years, with a two-year probation order. The mother was ordered to engage in and complete any program recommended by the probation officer to facilitate healing and counselling.
