Dubbo dad who hit son with belt reported to police by school

Police have charged a Dubbo dad with assault after his 12-year-old son turned up to school with bad bruising and belt marks on his legs. FIND OUT WHY HE SNAPPED.

A Dubbo man has been fined for assaulting his son. Picture: Facebook

A Dubbo dad who had “serious disciplinary issues” with his son has expressed remorse in court after he used a belt to lash out at the child and was reported to police by a concerned teacher.

The 37-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he faced Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday.

Court documents reveal someone from Dubbo College South Campus called the man on September 2 to advise that his child has been misbehaving at school.

A Dubbo College South Campus staff member reported the man to police. Picture: Google Maps

The man confronted the child about the behaviour and the child denied wrongdoing.

After the child went to his bedroom, the man walked in carrying a leather belt and hit the child’s upper thighs with it twice.

According to court documents, the child reported his father to a teacher at his school.

When the teacher saw significant bruising and red marks on the child’s legs, she contacted police who observed the marks which were consistent with the shape of a belt.

Child Abuse Squad detectives interviewed the child. When police spoke to the man he said he was angry with the child for lying and agreed his actions were excessive.

In court documents, police said the man’s actions were “beyond the bounds of lawful chastisement and have resulted in significant bruising and pain to the victim”.

The man’s lawyer, Matthew Quill, said his client apologised to the child immediately after hitting him with the belt.

“He (the man) lashed out, it was an impulsive act,” Mr Quill said.

“He’s very remorseful, he hasn’t hit children in that way.

“They’d been having serious disciplinary issues with that child … the school was calling every day.”

The man appeared remorseful in Dubbo Local Court . Picture: Jedd Manning

Magistrate Gary Wilson said what the man did went “well beyond the bounds of acceptable discipline”.

“I just don’t know what snapped in your head to inflict that sort of discipline on a young child,” he said.

The man was convicted, fined $500 and placed on a community corrections order for 12 months.

An apprehended violence order banning the man from using physical discipline on the child was enforced for two years.