Mother who hit 'tantrum' boy guilty of assault

A mother has been found guilty of assault for hitting her child after he threw a tantrum in a supermarket in Sydney, Australia.

The woman, whose name was not released, hit her kicking and screaming three-year-old son on the head and dragged him out of the supermarket, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

A supermarket employee and a shopper reported the incident to police, it said.

Manly Local Court in northern Sydney found the woman guilty of common assault and will sentence her on June 4. The maximum penalty she faces is two years in prison.

In evidence the woman testified that she did not kick or forcefully hit the child as the prosecution alleged.

“He ran away from me, I lost him. I couldn’t see him … I was angry because I was scared,” she told the court.

“I tried to grab him to take him out of the supermarket because he was screaming. He does it everywhere, attracts attention at the beach, park, shopping centre,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.