NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 26, 2007
Mom Acquitted In Body Piercing Abuse Case
Fla. Mother Pierced 13-Year-Old Daughter's Genitalia To Stop Her From Having Sex
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A Florida woman who had her 13-year-old daughter's genitalia pierced to make it uncomfortable for her to have sex was acquitted of aggravated child abuse, Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. She could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges. (CBS/AP)
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Interactive Children In Danger Warning signs, state-by-state child services information and a history of child welfare reforms.
The girl, now 16, had testified that her mother asked a friend in 2004 to shave the girl's head to make her unattractive to boys and later held her down for the piercing.
A jury deliberated for about three hours before deciding Thursday that the mother's actions did not involve punishment or malicious intent, or cause permanent damage or disfigurement.
The 39-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity, could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
The girl was not in court for the verdict. Her guardian declined comment.
"She was trying to protect me, but it hurt me," the girl testified earlier this week. "It not only hurt me physically, but it hurt me mentally. ... That's emotionally scarring. That's physical abuse."
Prosecutors said the mother called on a friend to shave the girl's head and do the piercing after realizing that she had been having sex, including with the mother's boyfriend.
Defense attorneys told jurors that the mother had trouble with her rebellious daughter and that the girl agreed to the piercing to help rebuild her mother's trust.
Defense attorney Donald Day told jurors that the mother had trouble with her rebellious daughter and that the girl agreed to the piercing to help rebuild her mother's trust.
"It wasn't torture or extreme violence," Day said. "It was, in the young girl's words, to try to save her. ... That decision was a last-ditch effort. In my client's mind, she had no other options."
Child welfare officials were called after the girl became infected from the piercing.
“She made poor parental decisions, but nothing was done with malice,” a juror said, according to the Naples Daily News. “She tried to get help and then called police, but no one helped and she wound up getting herself in trouble.”
Tammy Meredith, 43, who did the piercing in her home, was sentenced to a year in jail for her role. An arrest warrant has been issued for the mother's boyfriend on allegations he had sex with the girl.
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So if the piercing had happened, say, in a religious commune where the girl was made to feel guilty for her actions and then pierced to make sure she doesn''''t have s.ex that would surely be a case of child abuse.
To go to the extreme this mother did is irrational and should not be allowed in the USA.
We''''re not freaking Saudi Arabia, and I hope we''''re not turning into a nationwide commune.
I don''t understand how you can violate someone''s body and then go free.
So if the piercing had happened, say, in a religious commune where the girl was made to feel guilty for her actions and then pierced to make sure she doesn''t have *** that would surely be a case of child abuse.
To go to the extreme this mother did is irrational and should not be allowed in the USA.
We''re not freaking Saudi Arabia, and I hope we''re not turning into a nationwide commune.
Stupid, silly female teenager brain coupled with a
well-developed, mature-for-her-age body.
LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS!!!!
Who is this 13 year old having *** with?
It was having it with the Mothers man that caused this. Whoa, I can feel the anger over it, I hope she kicked him out!!
have "pretty eyes."
Yeah, that doesn''t make sense considering the person doing the piercing wouldn''t have been doing it if it wasn''t for the mother. Of course she still had a choice of whether to do it or not, but still????
There certainly isn''t any shortage of whackos in the world. How can a piercing keep her from having s-e-x? All you have to do is take it out. Of course the infection from the piercing could stop her for a while.
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Okay, after 2000, I thought that there was something weird going on in Florida, and then when you here of an execution down there about every other week, you know something is weird, but this takes the cake. This mother is a freaking sadistic maniac that should never get anywhere near a child again. Florida has lost its mind and its soul.
I guess you can expect as much of a state that is so in love with the Bush family. Jesus.
- by Krazcarl October 26, 2007 12:29 PM EDT
- This is a bizar family how could the mother walk and the piercer gets a year. Will someone explain this to me I can''t wrap my mind around it. But then again I''ve always felt motheres of sexually abused children should go to jail for bring the predator in the home that would make the ladies more careful with their childrens safety.
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