U.S. mother faces jail after trying to record school bullies

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. mother is facing felony charge after putting a voice recorder in her 9-year-old daughter's backpack in hopes of catching the school bullies in the act, according to a media report Tuesday.

Sarah Sims and her daughter live in Norfolk, Virginia, the United States. When her 4th grade daughter complained she was being bullied in school, Sims went to the school administrators, but said she got no response, according to a CNN report.

In September, Sims sent her daughter to school with a digital audio recorder in her backpack, in attempts to capture audio from the classroom and find the evidence of the school bullies.

Her daughter put the device on her desk recording the school day. However, it was found out and confiscated. The daughter was moved to a new classroom and the mum has been in trouble with law.

Sims was charged with felony use of device to intercept oral communication and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

If convicted on the felony charge, she could be sentenced for up to five years in jail.

"I was appalled when I heard these charges," Sims' attorney Kristin Paulding said. "I was shocked to see that the school would decide to go to the police department and ultimately charge this mother as opposed to sitting her down and having just a simple conversation about what were her concerns and how could the school alleviate those concerns."

Sims said she was confused why the school didn't call her when the incident happened but instead called the police last month.

The mother also told the media outlet that it wasn't the first time her daughter had been bullied at the school, saying in third grade, her daughter "had been kicked in her stomach and hit with a jump rope on the playground," and the school didn't notify her at the time.

The Norfolk commonwealth's attorney's office, which would prosecute the charges, has told local media it just received the case report and hasn't begun investigating.

Sims, 47, is herself a full-time student at Virginia's Norfolk State University. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 18, 2018. Enditem