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Mother dangles baby out of window by wrists in ‘Michael Jackson’ moment after King of Pop's song comes on radio

The child’s father saw photos on a mobile phone of the incident and brought it to light earlier this year

Emma Henderson
Saturday 28 November 2015 15:06 GMT
Michael Jackson dangles his son Prince Michael II
Michael Jackson dangles his son Prince Michael II (Rex Features)

A mother who dangled her baby son outside of a window while shouting "Wacko Jacko" when a Michael Jackson song came on the radio has avoided jail.

The woman, who is in her 20s and cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

According to the Hull Daily Mail, she told police: “I’ve been stupid for dangling the child out of the window – I was having a Michael Jackson moment.”

The child’s father saw photos on a mobile phone of the incident and brought it to light earlier this year.

"I saw what was on the picture and I was mortified, as you can imagine. I was sick, I felt ill.

"My kids are big, they are heavy, and I’m a big bloke, but it would take some strength for me to dangle my child out of a window – she could have killed my child. I’m absolutely disgusted," he told the Hull Daily Mail.

The image that has been published has the faces of the mother and child blurred to protect their identities.

The woman was described as "laughing" while she holds the boy by his wrists.

The event is reminiscent of when Michael Jackson held his baby over the railings of the balcony of Hotel Adlon in Berlin in 2002. He rushed out with the baby with a cloth covering in front of a crowd of publicity below and was heavily condemned for doing so.

According to Hull Daily Mail, she admitted to unlawfully endangering the life or health of a child under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

The maximum penalty for the offence is up to five years in jail.

She admitted exposing the child to danger in a "moment of madness". The judge decided she must have up to 30 days rehabilitation supervised by the probation service.

Dean Bower, defending the mother said: "I want to stress just how full of shame and remose she is. She knows what she did was plainly wrong."

District Judge Frederick Rutherford said: "The least sentence I can impose, giving you credit for your guilty plea, is one of 16 weeks, but that sentence in your case will be suspended for 12 months."

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