Derry man accused of beating his son for breaking a school window

A Derry man beat his 11-year-old son repeatedly with a cable because he broke a school window, it has been claimed in the High Court.
Prosecutors said welts and severe bruising were inflicted on the boy’s arms and legs before his mother intervened to stop the attack.
His 30-year-old father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and child cruelty.
A judge was told the child had got into trouble over a pane of glass being smashed at his school in Derry.
A lawyer for the prosecution said the boy was questioned about the incident after returning home on 29 September last year.
It was alleged that the boy’s father took a cable and struck him repeatedly, causing bruising, welts and abrasions.
The accused initially made full admissions during police questioning, saying he used the lead to hit his son three or four times, the court heard.
He claimed to have lost his temper over what his son had done.
The man later retracted this statement saying he had not intended to hit his son, but that his anger took over.
Details emerged as the accused, who is on bail, was granted an application to have more supervised contact with his children.
The judge agreed to vary the bail conditions after pointing out that social services had vetted and approved the proposals.