BOY HIT BY MUM WITH HAIRBRUSH PUT IN CARE; Separated after school row.

Byline: RICHARD SMITH

AN eight-year-old boy has been taken into emergency foster care after his mum hit him twice with a hair brush for refusing to go to school.

In "a moment of madness" the 42-year-old single mum struck her son on his shoulder - once with the bristles and once with the back of the brush.

The blows caused slight bleeding and the boy later told a teacher at school that his shoulder hurt.

The mother admitted assault by beating at South Somerset magistrates court in Yeovil. She will be sentenced on April 30.

She now sees her son for just two hours a week and has agreed to attend an anger management course.

Prosecutor Judy Morris told the court, yesterday: "The teacher said the boy appeared to be happy, but said his shoulder hurt. He said he had got up late and his mum was angry and sad.

"She then hit him on the shoulder once with the back and once with the spikes of the hairbrush. He said he was not scared of his mum, although she was really stressed out and he thought she needed help as she wanted him to be perfect."

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted the incident to child protection officers on February 5.

She said her son had been late getting up and refused to get dressed, that it was a moment of madness and she had not hit him very hard. The court heard they got on well

Gareth Webb, defending, said: "The boy was just sitting on the landing and his mother saw red, lost her temper and struck the child twice, but she immediately apologised."

Somerset County Council said: "Children's social care are working closely with this parent to enable her to return to caring for her son."