The co-chair of the Coalition for the Protection of Children wrongly accused a karate instructor of striking her son during a lesson, the Senior Magistrate has ruled.

On Monday, the Wor. Will Francis ordered Mrs. Sheelagh Cooper to pay Mrs.

Kristina Ingham $500 in legal fees and damages.

But yesterday, Mrs. Cooper said she and her lawyer Mr. Christian Luthi had failed to appear at Monday's trial due to "an oversight,'' and an application was being made to have the judgment set aside.

Mrs. Ingham brought the action against Mrs. Cooper after the head of Bermuda's anti-child abuse group brought a Police officer to her karate school and accused her of striking seven-year-old William Cooper during karate class. In the absence of Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Francis accepted Mrs. Ingham's evidence that the "damaging'' allegation was untrue.

"I do find it to be more likely than not that (Mrs. Cooper's) actions were unwarranted, negligent, and caused the plaintiff damages,'' Mr. Francis said in a written judgment on Monday.

"The absurd thing about it is that the little boy's nanny had sat through the class,'' Mrs. Ingham told The Royal Gazette yesterday. "She saw that I didn't strike the child in any way, shape, or form.

"I have a tape of the nanny saying there was no abuse.'' Mrs. Cooper's son had attended two karate lessons at Mr. Skipper Ingham's Bermuda Karate Institute on King Street. But on July 21, a week after the last class he attended, Mrs. Cooper came to the karate school, accompanied by a Police officer.

"In front of the Police man, she accused me of striking her child across the face, which I didn't do,'' said Mrs. Ingham, who has been teaching karate for 25 years and is the chief instructor at her husband's school.

"I consulted a lawyer,'' Mrs. Ingham said. "He wrote a letter stating the facts. She never apologised or withdrew her application.

"I went to Magistrates' Court and applied for redress in the form of monetary compensation, which I received.'' Ms Elizabeth Christopher, a lawyer for Mrs. Cooper, said that because Mr.

Francis made his judgment in the absence of her client, "this was not a judgment on the merits'' of the case.

And Mrs. Cooper said she remained concerned about her son's treatment, both as a mother and as co-chairman of the coalition. "My son attended the school for three days, and came home after the third lesson crying and very upset because he said Mrs. Ingham had slapped him across his face,'' she said.

"Although I did not press charges, Mrs. Ingham felt it necessary to hire a lawyer,'' Mrs. Cooper said. "I feel no obligation whatsoever to cover Mrs.

Ingham's legal fees.'' Mrs. Ingham said the Magistrate's finding raised doubts about Mrs. Cooper's position with the coalition.

"She has formed a group whose purpose is to prevent abuse, but she's gone completely overboard,'' Mrs. Ingham said. "She's inventing cases of abuse that didn't occur.'' Mrs. Ingham said she was "very upset'' at Mrs. Cooper's allegation. "If you're in a position of responsibility with children, it can be very damaging.

"What she should have done was come to speak to me, or phone me, and get my side of the story. Instead, she brought a Policeman here and confronted me in an accusatory way.''