ISLANDERS have reacted with horror to the story of an assault on a seven-month-old baby.
The story, published in the Guernsey Press on Saturday, reported how the boy sustained a suspected broken nose after he was kicked in the face by a profoundly autistic 18-year-old.
The baby, who was with family in Creasey’s coffee shop, had cried, which had apparently agitated the teenager.
More than 60 comments have so far been posted on sister website thisisguernsey.
Some have been sympathetic towards the teenager, but many have called for the police to prosecute despite the baby’s family not wishing to do so.
A police spokesman said while a person could be prosecuted without a complaint being made, it was significantly more difficult.
A Social Services inter-agency strategy meeting has been held. Its role is primarily of public safety.
Its outcome would not determine whether or not a prosecution would take place, but would make recommendations.
Comments posted on thisisguernsey included one from D, the mother of an autistic child, who said she would not put her child in a situation they could not cope with.
‘When you have an autistic child you have to take responsibility for them at all times, it’s hard but that’s the hand that’s been dealt.’
She said someone who is autistic should not be classed as ‘abnormal or mental or a retard, they are wired up differently to what is classed as “normal”, not an excuse but a fact.
‘Something obviously went wrong in this situation and the carers were to blame and should take responsibility. Not every autistic person would react like this individual towards a small child.’
n Because of the sensitivity of the incident, the Guernsey Press has accepted advice from the Guernsey branch of the National Autistic Society to try to protect the identity of the individual responsible.
Article posted on 13th January, 2009 - 2.29pm
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5 Article Comments
i think the parents of the 18 year old should be held responsible at the end of the day they know what their child is like and how they react to small children, so to not know where they are in a place like the coffee shop which always has children in is just unbelievable. these parents got off lucky this time that this baby wasn’t more seriously hurt. I as a parent know how hard it is to keep an eye on my children but i do. i just hope i never have to go through what both these families are going through but at the end of the day as parents you are responsible for your child and the 18 year old parents should of been watching them and not allowing them to wonder around unsupervised.
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i think its disgusting he is getting off scott free he should be prosecuted and banned from going near children for life if he had done that to one of my kids i would be up for murder by now
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Agh…yet another poor summary that doesn’t answer any of the questions raised by the public’s comments.
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absolute pollocks!!! if that had happened to my child autistic or not i’d have damaged the attacker and called police myself to press charges. If you know an adult has problems and limitations you have to monitor them…..a small child however should not be smacked no matter what….
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Melissa
I too am absolutely appalled that anyone can get away with attacking a baby whether autistic or not. Whilst I have every sympathy for any sufferer of this complaint it should not excuse them from such a brutal attack which even though extremely serious was not life threatening. If this baby had lost their life through this what would have happened. There might be an occasion where this autistic person might even attack an adult who, without knowing that the person attacking them is autistic, would just really defend themselves. What then? Surely they wouldn’t be punished for this?
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