Man who slapped crying toddler on flight jailed

A man who pleaded guilty to slapping a crying toddler on a US internal flight has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison.

Joe Rickey Hundley: eight months for slapping toddler. Picture: Contributed

Joe Rickey Hundley pleaded guilty in October after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Atlanta prosecutors say Hundley used a racial slur to refer to the 19-month-old boy, who is black, and hit him under the eye as the flight from Minneapolis descended to the Atlanta airport last February.

Prosecutors had recommended six months in prison. The judge said today he imposed a higher sentence in part because of Hundley’s criminal history, which includes a prior assault.

Hundley’s lawyer objected to the deviation from the recommendation in the plea agreement and said after the hearing that she believes the sentence is disproportionate.