Teenage babysitter 'beat toddler to death'

[rpannier]

A teenage babysitter beat a two-year-old girl to death while her mother was out shopping, a court has been told.

The 15-year-old boy - who is not a relation but cannot be named for legal reasons - inflicted 68 injuries on Demi Leigh Mahon in 90 minutes on July 15, 2008, a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Howard Bentham QC said doctors believed the child was punched repeatedly in the face before she died. Paramedics who went to her aid said she showed signs of having suffered brain damage as a result of being attacked.

Demi Leigh's mother, Ann Marie McDonald, told the jury she left her daughter while she popped out to pick up her child benefit at around 2.30pm.

link:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090622/tuk-teenage-babysitter-beat-toddler-to-d-dba1618.html

[MineralMan]

1. So sad...

Even more sadly, it's not unique.

[Kerrytravelers]

2. 68?????/ 68 injuries????????

This poor little girl. Rest in peace, little one.

[MineralMan]

3. Just Googled babysitter kills baby

Over 16,000 matches. Be very careful, parents...

[LisaL]

4. Especially if you are going to get a teenage boy to babysit

your child.

[TheMadMonk]

6. And just WTF is that supposed to mean?

"Teenaged girl leaves baby to drown in bath while yacking on phone."

I'll lay London to a brick that that particular stereotype has more basis in reality than your strongly implied 'male = abusive' meme.

[kimmylavin]

7. Oh, please don't do that.

I had several male babysitters when I was younger, and they were all wonderful.
And this was with a family of three girls.

We were, however, hit and terrorized by a female babysitter for three months before I told my parents...

[asthmaticeog]

5. Why Google is not a good research tool...

That's 16,000 articles. Not 16,000 discrete incidents. Could be 2,000 references each about 8 incidents for all you know. But by all means, sound the alarm about the 16,000 kids killed by their sitters. :eyes:

@ the OP - tragic what happened to that poor kid. Can't imagine what would possess the sitter to do such a thing, unless maybe he was raised in a milieu where hitting kids is normal? Awful, just awful all around.

[Odin2005]

8. OMG! I have a friend who needs a wheelchair to get around because she was abused by a babysitter...

When she was 3. :cry: