ASSAULTING young children resulted in just six months supervision for two men at Alloa Sheriff Court last week.

Christopher Thomas Mcauley (Jr), 44, and Christopher Graeme Mcauley (Sr), 65, appeared in the dock together on Thursday, July 25.

They both pleaded guilty to assaulting children in their care during a previous court appearance, and sentencing was deferred until this month for reports to be prepared.

Mcauley Jr admitted one charge of striking a child on the head at an address in Clacks in January this year.

But Mcauley Sr admitted a total of three charges.

These included one of striking a child on the body with a piece of wood by recklessly throwing it at them between January and February 2017.

He also pulled a child’s fingers back whilst in a shop in the Wee County in November 2018.

And then in January this year he carried out another assault on a child by seizing their hair.

His pleas of not guilty to two other charges, which alleged he struck a child with a piece of wood and punched another on the body, were accepted by the Crown.

Representing Mcauley Sr, solicitor Robert Smith told the court last week that a background report suggested his client “had some difficulty accepting he’d done wrong”.

But he claimed this was because of his own “life experiences and upbringing”, and said he was now looking to get help to address his behaviour.

Representing Mcauley Jr, solicitor Kelly Howe said that from reading reports there was “no suggestion [her client] was deliberately trying to harm” the child.

Instead, she claimed he was acting based on “his own experiences and attitudes about discipline,” but would now be willing to accept some education about what is and isn’t appropriate.

Sheriff David Mackie took no issue with the claims from both solicitors that their clients were simply disciplining children in ways they thought appropriate.

But he said those inappropriate attitudes that led to their offending needed to be addressed.

He then gave the pair, who are both from Burnside Road in Menstrie, community payback orders with supervision.