TSI upholds suspended sentence for father convicted of assaulting daughter

The Court of Second Instance (TSI) has dismissed an appeal filed by a father convicted of aggravated assault against his daughter.

The man was initially sentenced by the Court of First Instance (TJB) to two months in prison, suspended for two years, after causing significant emotional and physical harm to the minor.

Between late 2019 and November 2021, the father displayed behaviors that fostered “negative emotions” in his daughter, ultimately leading to her need for psychiatric treatment.

On December 2, 2021, after the girl sent a distressing message to her mother requesting a divorce from her father, he attacked her.

Reports indicated that he appeared “emotionally unstable,” inflicting physical harm, including slapping and hair-pulling, which resulted in injuries.

As a consequence of her father’s misconduct, the daughter experienced a decline in her mental health, resulting in anxiety and distress.

This deterioration necessitated her treatment at an outpatient child psychiatry clinic. Following a clinical evaluation, she was diagnosed with “physical abuse and adjustment disorders, characterized by mixed emotional disturbances of anxiety and depression.”

Initially, the Public Prosecutions Office charged her father with domestic violence, but the TJB ultimately settled on a lesser charge of aggravated assault.

In his appeal, the father contended that the TJB misapplied the law, asserting that his actions were necessary for his daughter’s education.

However, the TSI rejected his arguments, stating that his behavior constituted “aggravated assault” and was not justified under any educational pretext. Victoria Chan