A CO Tyrone man who admitted beating his children with a belt has walked free from court.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his son and daughter, admitted charges of child cruelty between February 28 and August 10, 2012.
Dungannon Magistrates Court heard on Friday a pre-sentence report found there was a high risk that the man would reoffend, which the defence said was "slightly surprising".
District Judge Alan White said: "Clearly significant emotional damage has been caused".
He imposed a 12-month probation order and 100 hours of community service.
Police only became aware of the abuse when an anonymous member of the public contacted the NSPCC, even though social services were aware of issues within the family home.
Speaking after the sentencing, Neil Anderson from the NSPCC said it was "unacceptable" that children were harmed by their carers.
"This case shows that it’s imperative that adults concerned about a child’s welfare do ask hard questions if there are any doubts about any injuries," he said.
"This is especially important in cases where the victim is too young to speak out and their only hope lies with those in positions of authority."
At an earlier hearing, the court heard that a classroom assistant at the boy's primary school noticed he had swelling and bruising to his nose in March 2012.
When she asked what had happened he said his father had hit him in the face.
The school did not report the claim and instead opted to monitor the situation.
Social services were told of the alleged beating when they visited the primary school to inquire about domestic abuse in the children’s home.
Around four months later, the NSPCC contacted police to say an anonymous caller had reported that the two children told her their father beat them with a belt and had shown her marks.
The girl initially denied being beaten but later said her father and step-mother hit her with a belt.
A medical examination found marks on the boy which "could be consistent with belt marks".
Having been removed from the family home, the boy gave a video interview in which he said he and his sister were beaten with a belt by their father and step-mother.
He said he was afraid of his father and alleged his step-mother told both children not to tell anyone about the beatings.
When police arrested the father he refused to comment. However, when his son's allegations were put to him he insisted he had never beaten his children.
He claimed to have punished them by taking things away or grounding them but had seen his wife hit the children once or twice, and may have left marks.
The man's barrister said he accepted he had used a belt to punish the children but disputed that he had injured them.
The court heard on Friday that efforts are being made to trace the children's step-mother who has since left the jurisdiction.
