8:00pm Thursday 5th November 2009
By Fiona Pendlebury
A POOLE couple accused of cruelty towards four children both told a court that they believe that they did nothing harmful to them.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard that some of the children were punished by being shut out in the cold while the mother made a five year old boy put a hot chilli pepper in his mouth for swearing.
The mum denied claims by the eldest boy that he had been shut out in the cold for around one hour, telling the court that it had been “20 minutes at the most”.
Describing his behaviour she said: “He was very loud, very hyperactive”.
She said that he had been dressed in a thick hooded jumper, jeans and trainers at the time of the incident, which she said was in mid November.
She said on another occasion the boy’s sisters were sent outside for about 10 minutes rather than half an hour.
When asked about allegations that she gave the five-year-old a chilli, she said that the youngster liked chillis and would regularly steal them off a chilli bush in the garden.
The mum’s former partner told the court that it was “not a particularly cold day” when the eldest boy was outside and denied he would have been at risk of hypothermia.
The court heard that the partner was not subjected to a police search down at the station, unlike the mother.
The partner added that in his view they were “fair and just” punishments. He added: “I didn’t think it was putting them in any danger at all or causing them ill health or any harm.”
The jury was directed to return a verdict of not guilty on the cruelty charge which related to allegations that the partner had fired a BB gun inside the house.
The couple deny three joint counts of child cruelty and the mother denies a further charge relating to the alleged chilli incident.
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