A BRUTE beat a boy with his belt, leaving welts on his bottom, because the lad struggled to read a Polish book.

Karol Lobos admitted the attack on the six-year-old boy, pleading guilty to assaulting/ill-treating/neglecting a child which caused unnecessary suffering or injury when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

A further charge of child cruelty which alleged that Lobos, 39, of Goodwin Gardens, Evesham had made the boy kneel on raw popcorn with his arms in the air for one hour was not pursued by the prosecution, a decision challenged by Judge Nicolas Cartwright who heard the case and ultimately jailed the defendant.

Andrew Davison, prosecuting, said Lobos inflicted the punishment involving the leather belt because the boy had failed to read a Polish book correctly.

"He took the belt to him. He took his trousers and pants down and bent him over and hit him hard three times" said the prosecutor.

The boy was left with welt marks on his body. Photographs of the injuries and the belt used were shown to the judge before he sentenced Lobos.

In interview Lobos said he became frustrated with the boy during the incident on July 18 last year and had tried other punishments, including sending him to 'the naughty corner'.

"He got frustrated and used the belt on him" said Mr Davidson.

Lobos has two previous convictions, the most recent from when he appeared before magistrates in 2013 for possession of a knife in a public place which earned him a 12 month community order.

Martin Taylor, defending, said: "He has never done it before. He has never done it since. He said in his lengthy and very candid interview that he could not think of any other way of dealing with it. He had become frustrated."

He also stressed that his client had not lost his temper with the child when he hit him with the belt. "He feels immediate remorse. In the interview he appears to cry in front of the officer in frustration," said the advocate.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright questioned why the Crown Prosecution Service had not proceeded with the charge regarding the popcorn. "I question whether that is more or less serious than hitting him three times with a belt," said the judge.

However, the Crown said it was 'not in the public interest to proceed with that', an allegation Lobos had denied when he appeared at the magistrates court. This decision had been made by a reviewing lawyer.

Judge Cartwright sentenced Lobos to 18 months in prison.