TWO women, one of whom is from Codicote, have escaped being sent to jail today (Monday), after they were sentenced for child cruelty at St Albans Crown Court.

Rabecca Robins, 21, of High Street, Codicote and Lisa Wymer, 22, of Arundel Drive, Borehamwood were each sentenced at St Albans Crown Court to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

They have also been given a six month supervision requirement with probation and will need to complete 100 hours of unpaid work within a 12 month period.

The two women were arrested following reports of an incident of child cruelty to a two-year-old boy at a nursery in Welwyn GC on December 17 2009.

They were found guilty on Friday October 1.

“I hope that today’s sentencing will help the little boy’s family put this incident behind them and move on,” said Detective Constable Liz Carey, who works for the Child Abuse Investigation unit.

“The family is very happy with the service delivered by the nursery and the support they have received throughout the investigation.

“The prompt reporting of nursery staff members and the procedures they have in place within the nursery to protect children have been instrumental in securing a successful prosecution today.”

“Any report of child neglect, abuse or cruelty is dealt with extremely seriously by the Constabulary and we have a dedicated team of detectives to investigate these cases.”

If you suspect that a child is being abused, treated with cruelty or neglected, contact police as soon as possible on the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222. In an emergency always dial 999.