Australian mother arrested for slapping son

An Australian mother of three has been charged with assault after she slapped her son on the face in a supermarket.

The Perth woman's husband revealed the charge when he called a local radio station.

"She struck the four-year-old, after biting an apple that hadn' t been paid for by his mother," the husband said on 6PR radio.

"She was pulled over in the car park after leaving the shopping center after paying for the apple that was stolen effectively."

"She was pulled over by police and told she would be either arrested or have the DCP (Department of Child Protection) approach her in the next 24 hours."

Police later arrived at their home.

"It wouldn't be three hours later they chose to come to our home address and arrest her immediately in front of the children with no real explanation," the husband said.

The 32-year-old said his wife wasn't aiming for her son's head.

"My wife does have arthritis, so her discipline below the head has been laughed at in the past, so she was aware of that," he said.

"He was rebelling at bit... she clipped him at the side of the face, not necessarily aiming for that."

The man John said his four-year-old son didn't have a mark on him, but the police still inspected her other two children in the car.

He said his children were "mortified" when the police interrogated their mother.

The husband said his wife should have been given a warning instead of being arrested.

"I'm 32-year-old and she's 34... we received that kind of discipline as children," he told the radio station.

"There was no warning -- there was no, excuse me, I know things have changed over the last decade, you need to know this is not acceptable." Endi