KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man accused of assaulting his stepdaughter has been referred to restorative justice following his appearance in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

Shuwayne Crawford is charged with assaulting a female after allegedly striking his stepdaughter over accusations that she had hit a younger sibling.

During the hearing, presiding Judge Peter Wilson described the matter as a family dispute and remarked that the saying, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”, was a thing of the past.