PA- Reading woman jailed in beating of granddaughter, 16

6-20-2008 Pennsylvania:

Reading, PA - A 61-year-old city woman was arrested by Reading police for beating her granddaughter with a cane and belt after finding the girl in bed with another female teenager from the neighborhood, investigators said Saturday.

Joyce Y. Beddell of the 600 block of North Front Street was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail after arraignment before Senior District Judge Richard Gatti. Reading police charged Beddell with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child.

Beddell's 16-year-old granddaughter suffered serious bruises to her legs and buttocks during the assault, which occurred Thursday about 5 p.m. in the residence they shared, police said.

Beddell beat the teenager with her cane until it broke, police said.

The girl's name was not released by police, who said she was in severe pain and was treated in Reading Hospital for unspecified injuries.

Investigators gave this account:

The granddaughter had just finished having sex with another 16-year-old girl and was in an upstairs bedroom. Beddell walked in and found them together.

The neighborhood girl ran out of the house to her nearby home while Beddell was beating her granddaughter with the cane.

Neighbors said they saw Beddell leave the house a short time later. She was accompanied by her limping granddaughter. The two of them went to the other girl's house to tell her mother what they had been doing.

Beddell returned to her home with her granddaughter and continued to beat her with a belt. Police were called to the house to investigate a report of child abuse.

The girl had noticeable injuries to her legs, and police took her to the hospital.

Beddell told police that she had done nothing wrong and said she should have been allowed to discipline her granddaughter as she saw fit. ..News Source.. by Jason A. Kahl at 610 371-5024 or jkahl@readingeagle.com.