Two failing parents subjected a nine-year-old child to a gruelling four-hour military-style "boot camp" exercise routine to discipline him, a court heard.

The parents got the child up from bed after 9pm and then forced him to do press ups, sit ups, star jumps and other exercises, each set lasting nine minutes, resetting the clock if he failed.

The ordeal, which took place in the St Austell area in January of last year, lasted several hours, the boy eventually being allowed to go to bed shortly after 1am.

The victim’s mother and stepfather, aged in their early thirties and late twenties respectively and who Cornwall Live cannot identify to protect the identity of the young victim, both appeared at Truro Crown Court and pleaded guilty to one count of child cruelty on the day their trial was supposed to start.

Two other adults who were also present on the evening in questions received cautions for failing to act.


Prosecuting the case, Adrian Chaplin explained that the victim and his younger brother lived part-time at his mum and step dad’s address.

He said: “Matters came to the attention of people on the first day back at school after the Christmas break. A teaching assistant described how, at 8.30am as the children were arriving, that she was greeting them and the boy asked to speak to her.

“She thought he looked sad and he started to describe having been punished and made to do exercises in the evening.”

The message was then passed to a teacher and in turn the police and social services.

The boy was interviewed on video by police and Mr Chaplin said it came across that his mother was unable to cope with the demands of her children at the time.

Mr Chaplin said: “January 3 it seems was not a good day. The boy was sent to bed very early, at around 5.30pm, and describes having a meal of bread. He was told it was because his dad and dad’s partner were coming round.

“He describes being woken up at 9.30pm to start a course of punishment that consisted of push ups, raising his legs while lying on his back, sit ups and star jumps. He was told he had to do the sets nine times as he was nine years old and if he didn’t complete each set the clock would reset.

“He eventually went to bed at 1.05am and at no time did these two defendants or the other two people who arrived later intervene. It is effectively four adults demanding/bullying a boy to carry out exercise from which was crying, either not wanting to or unable to complete the exercise.

“At no stage did any adult step back and say, 'what on early are we doing?'.”


Representing the female defendant, Jason Beal said she had been “at the end of her tether” after a very difficult Christmas period and that her method of dealing with apparent misbehaviour was “grossly inappropriate”.

He added that her biggest punishment was subsequently being separated from her two sons who now live with their paternal grandparents and who she sees during supervised visits.

For the stepfather, Mary McCarthy said: “He was clearly under-equipped to deal with young children (the defendants also have children of their own).

“He still cares for his own children and is really enjoying parenting now, going to parenting classes once a week. This evening things went badly wrong and he recognises they went too far. He now has a level of understanding about parenting he did not have them.”

Sentencing the pair, Judge Simon Carr said: “What is clear is that at the time you lacked the skills to parent children.

“In January 2018 the boy had in your view been playing up and your means of discipline had failed. You sent him to bed and it should have ended there.

“You took the decision to punish him by taking him from his bed and forcing him to carry out exercises more suitable to a military boot camp.

“He was crying and failing to complete the exercises and if he failed he would have to start again. The fact nobody stepped in is extraordinary and he eventually went to bed after 1am.”


Judge Carr said he recognises both parents are now receiving the help and education needed and have made significant strides as people and parents.

He added that as they were both of previous good character and belatedly entered guilty pleas, that he didn’t see any purpose in an immediate custodial sentence.

Both defendants were given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

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