A Fredericton man who was convicted of assault for spanking his children with a wooden fork will have to wait another week to be sentenced.
Jeffrey Kerr Smith was to be sentenced Thursday, but his lawyer wasn’t able to attend court due to a personal matter.
Smith was convicted of assault in late April in connection with a 2010 incident where he disciplined three of his children with a wooden fork.
The court heard the incident arose from an argument that erupted during a road hockey game outside the Smith’s home.
In 2004, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that parents have the right to spank their children between the ages of two and twelve, but it also set limits.
One of those limits is that objects such as a belt or ruler, or in this case a wooden fork, not be used.
In adjourning the matter today, Judge Judy Clendenning stressed that Smith’s sentencing would proceed next week whether Smith’s lawyer was in court or not.
Smith is due back in court for sentencing next Thursday.
