A Warwick woman who appeared in Magistrates' Court charged with assaulting a teenager said she punched him because he sexually assaulted her six-year-old son.

The 23-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court on November 7 that she had gone to the Police and Social Services to make a formal complaint and was told that they could not prosecute the 14-year-old summer-day-camp instructor as he was only a minor. Instead they would give him a warning.

However, after Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves ordered an inquiry into the matter to see if she was telling the truth, Police told Crown counsel Graveney Bannister they had done an investigation and had determined there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case.

Mr. Bannister told the court when the woman reappeared on November 14 that the Police denied telling her they could not prosecute due to the boy's age.

The mother pleaded guilty on November 7 to unlawfully assaulting the teenager on October 2 of this year.

Mr. Bannister said the woman had punched the teenager in the eye, in an unprovoked attack, at the bus terminal in Hamilton.

"If you had been to the authorities and no one helped you, then you were right to take the law into your own hands," said Mr. Greaves on November 7.

"I can't believe that the Police would tell you that."

The woman claimed her son had said the camp worker had asked him to show him his genitals and he would show him his. She said: "My son has begun wetting the bed and is waking up with nightmares and he calls the boy's name ? he thinks that he is always there. I don't think it is fair."

The woman also said that when she went to report the incident to the summer day camp, she was told that the boy no longer worked there and had been fired for pinching children. She said she was not the only parent who had complained about the worker.

However when the woman reappeared in court on November 14, Mr. Greaves heard the report from Police by Mr. Bannister that an investigation had been carried out and the appropriate decisions were made.

"That's something different from what you told me last week," he said to the young mother.

"That's what they said," she insisted. "They're lying." She added that the same officer had told other parents the same thing.

Mr. Greaves ordered a social inquiry report to be done in the matter, telling the mother to tell the Probation officers about the other parents. "I don't want to punish you before I am very sure about what happened ? if I am going to punish you," he said. "I am expecting a thorough, thorough report."

The mother will reappear before the courts on December 10 for Plea Court.