A former soldier who used an electric dog training collar to shock a toddler has been told she faces jail. Lanna Monaghan, 34, formerly of Fort Augustus, admitted five charges of assaulting the boy, who was aged between two and three at the time.
The court heard that Monaghan saw the collar being used on a dog and told the owner, 'If it works on a dog it will work on kids.' She subjected the child to electric shocks, cold showers, biting, and beat him with a wooden spoon so hard it broke.
Monaghan told police she had a temper and could 'zone out' and be 'out of control'. She claimed the child 'pushes my buttons' and that she gave him shocks because he refused to swallow food. The prosecutor said she did not recognise the possibility the child was reacting involuntarily through fear.
Judge Lady Rae described the abuse as 'an appalling catalogue of charges of physical cruelty' and said the child was 'defenceless'. She remanded Monaghan in custody despite her pregnancy, stating it would be 'very difficult to avoid custody'. Sentencing is scheduled for July at the High Court in Glasgow.
