Strasbourg - The European Commission of Human Rights said yesterday the severe caning of a 12-year-old boy by his British stepfather amounted to a breach of his human rights. The Commission, whose opinion is non-binding, said it had referred the case of the unidentified boy to the European Court of Human Rights, which would hold a hearing next year.
The court's judges generally back the Commission's opinion. If this happens, it would amount to a condemnation of the British justice system, as a domestic court acquitted the man of committing bodily harm at a jury trial in 1994, despite bruises on the back of the child's legs and indications of repeated beatings.
--(Reuters)