Dad burns toddler with hot knife

By YAAKOV KATZ
A father from the northern village of Kafr Yasif with a history of family abuse was arrested on Monday for striking his toddler son on the buttocks with a burning hot knife in order to wean him off diapers. According to police, the suspect, 40, would place the knife on a hot grill before unleashing the cruel abuse on his two-year-old step son. The toddler suffered severe burns, and his condition was reported to police by an alert social services worker who spotted the suspicious injuries in a Nahariya hospital. The toddler's mother at first denied that her husband was responsible for the injuries, but went on to admit that he had caused the burns, police added. Cmdr. Avi Edri, head of Acre Police, told reporters that the suspect has been convicted of previous domestic abuse charges, and had been handed down a suspended sentence.