SO a man escapes a prison sentence after physically assaulting a three-year-old girl in the street, and he was her “carer” (Girl, 3, beaten in York street, The Press, November 4). Where’s the law in that?

Why bother with courts? I’d like to know, if any witness to the assault had turned on him and done the same, would they have got a custodial sentence?

I’d bet my life the answer would be yes.

A Myers, Hull Road, York.

• I am a mum of four children, one of them has special needs. How sickening and upsetting to read about the little girl, beaten up by a 23-year-old. No printable words can describe it.

And the judge – where’s the justice? Oh sorry, you call 150 hours community service and a suspended sentence justice. That doesn’t even come close.

My 11-year-old child asked me why he wasn’t in prison for what he had done. I asked myself the same question. If ever there was a case of justice needing to be done, it was here.

K Hardy, Hamilton Drive, Holgate, York.