A ‘SADISTIC’ Burnley dad who beat his terrified daughter ‘up to 40 times’ with a ladle for not reading the holy book, has been spared jail.

The 46-year-old man had told the girl to bend over before ordering her brother to hit her 120 times with the weapon.

He had then taken the spoon off the boy and repeatedly struck the 10-year-old victim as she sobbed and gasped for breath.

The defendant, said to have also kicked the child in the hip, back and stomach, threatened the girl’s mother with violence after she tried to intervene.

He then said he was going to Pakistan and left the house, the town’s magistrates had earlier heard.

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The hearing was told how the father, who left the victim injured and in pain, was later arrested after a visit from the NSPCC.

The charity had been alerted by another child of the family.

The defendant told police the victim said every day she was going to recite and pray, but she didn’t.

He claimed he had made a mistake when he hit her.

The prosecutor had said officers asked him if he knew it was against the law to hit children and he replied he didn’t realise it was ‘such a big thing’. She continued: “He said he would never do it again and has repented.”

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had admitted child cruelty on March 23 and was committed to the crown court for sentence. The bench had told the father, who had no previous convictions, they felt his behaviour was sadistic.

He was spared jail by Judge Jonathan Gibson, who said the offence was ‘serious over-chastisement.’ The judge said the defendant was assessed as being a person who the probation service could work with, together with social and children’s services, in order, hopefully, that he could be rehabilitated.

Judge Gibson told the father: “I have in mind when sentencing you the very obvious abhorrence that society has in relation to assaults upon children, but also the effects upon your family a custodial sentence might have.

“It seems to me that I would be punishing your family if I were to send you immediately to prison, which would be for a relatively short period, when in fact intensive work can be done, and needs to be done, in the community with you.”

The father was given a two-year community order with two years’ supervision and must pay £150 costs.

The lower court had heard the girl had lived in Burnley with her parents and several siblings.

There was a dispute over who was going to do the ironing.