Monday, March 10, 2008

Mom Sentenced For Taking Nearly Nude Photos Of Daughter As Punishment

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local mother accused of abusing her daughter as a form of discipline was sentenced on Thursday.


At one time, Jennifer Henderson-Thomas was accused of beating her 15-year-old daughter, forcing her to eat dog food, strip naked and pose for Polaroid pictures. But in court, those allegations were cleared up, NBC 4's Tacoma Newsome reported.


There was no mention of dog food, but both sides addressed the Polaroid photos. Henderson-Thomas said she took the pictures after she caught her daughter in a sexual act with a boy.


It was originally thought the pictures were some form of sexual abuse. But prosecutors now agree that photos weren't intended to abuse the girl.


The single mother and long-time city employee admitted the punishment may have gone too far.


"(I took the photos) just to basically humiliate her. There was nothing sexual about it from my standpoint. I did not ask her to touch herself or do anything sexual. Her behavior and the disrespect that she showed me and the comments she made to me about why she was doing what she did was the basis of where I came from in terms of the pictures," Henderson-Thomas said.


Henderson-Thomas said she wanted the girl to be humiliated as a form of discipline, not sexually abuse her.


Henderson-Thomas was given 18 months on community control and 40 hours of community service. Because the true nature of the photos was cleared up, she will not have to register as a sex offender.


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