A 26-year-old man who punched a baby who cried while he was minding her, was yesterday ordered by a judge to do 100 hours of community service after a court heard that he had completed an anger management course.
Peter Forde, of Great William O'Brien Street, Cork, had previously pleaded guilty to wilfully assaulting the seven-month-old child at a flat in John Redmond Street on the night of September 15th, 2005, after he had been asked by the child's mother to mind the infant.
A couple who were also in the flat became concerned when the child started to cry and comforted her in the bedroom but later that night the child began to cry again and Forde went into the bedroom, an earlier hearing at Cork District Court had heard.
Insp Mick Fitzpatrick told the earlier sitting that Forde struck the child, who cannot be named to protect her identity, with his fist resulting in the child having to be brought to hospital where she was examined and found not to be injured.
Yesterday, Judge David Riordan heard that Forde had completed an anger management course and while there was no difficulty about Forde's motivation, there was an issue regarding his intellectual capability for undertaking the course. Judge Riordan said he was imposing a 100 hours' community service in lieu of six months in jail but he warned Forde that he must complete the course or else he will find himself going to prison.
