Prepare to be pissed... This is utterly ridiculous.
Can you imagine coming home to a child that was obviously assaulted, one who is now clingy and frightened, and not having any kind of justice? Look at this poor baby. The bruises will fade, but his fear and distrust will last much longer.
An Oregon couple claim their baby was left with horror injuries at the hands of their babysitter – including a bruise shaped like a hand print – but the authorities are not pursuing the case.
Joshua Marbury and Alicia Quinney claim they left their one-year-old son Jacob with the babysitter to go on a date night in March.
The couple, from Sherwood, say they returned home to find their son screaming and the babysitter fast asleep.
They say Jacob was covered in bruises the next morning and they reported the incident to police. However, two months later with no criminal charges being filed, they claim the authorities have let them down.
Frustrated, Marbury took to Facebook on Friday to vent that a ruling in Oregon is stopping his son's alleged abuser, who he did not name, from being charged – and posted pictures of Jacob in the bath with extensive bruising on his face.
Marbury was referring to a 2012 ruling in the Oregon Court of Appeals which prosecutors say make it harder to file charges in cases of abuse where the victims can't speak, according to OregonLive.
In order to convict a child abuser of felony assault or criminal mistreatment, according to the website, prosecutors have to prove the victim suffered a 'physical injury' and suffered 'substantial pain'.
This is difficult to prove if victims are unable to explain their suffering, according to an an earlier article on the ruling.
Prosecutors have said that children under five are often unable to articulate 'substantial pain' and this is also true of older children with developmental issues or those afraid to speak out against their abusers, OregonLive reported.
The ruling means that adults are able to get away with hurting children – as long as the injuries are not too bad as the ruling says bruises, welts and shallow cuts are not enough to prosecute.
Can you imagine coming home to a child that was obviously assaulted, one who is now clingy and frightened, and not having any kind of justice? Look at this poor baby. The bruises will fade, but his fear and distrust will last much longer.