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WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley father is facing child abuse charges after his son allegedly drew pictures in his school journal of being beaten, according to prosecutors.
Mohamed Hassan, 62, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with four counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony.
An investigation began last April when police responded to a residence on a report of possible abuse.
A 7-year-old boy told officers "he did not want to go home because his father, Mohamed Hassan, whips him daily, except during Ramadan. (The boy) stated that he was trying to go far away to hide and asked his friends to call 911," according to charging documents. (He) showed (police) the scars he had on his arms from being hit with a charger. (The boy) stated that Hassan had also strangled him until (he) thought he was not alive anymore."
The boy recounted several incidents of being beaten or whipped with a charger, court documents state. Police say the boy drew a picture in his journal at school of him getting whipped and his teacher asked him about it.
When questioned, the teacher told police the boy "had drawn a picture of stick figures all with extended arms holding an item out to an individual stick figure in the middle. (The boy) had written something illegible and (the teacher) asked (him) what he drew."
The boy then wrote what the teacher interpreted as a picture of every time he was abused, the charges state.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with Children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
