Subject to a Minority Order

HH, has introduced me to the Minority Order. A law introduced to help young offenders rehabilitate their lives. I was Victoria, a 25 year old girl who had led a very wayward life, having left school early, having no steady influences in her life, no job and on threat of eviction from her flat. She has come to the attention of the authorities on more than one occasion and having being found guilty of a second account of theft is sentenced to a Minority Order as follows:

"Victoria Andrews, you have been found guilty of theft. The court has enquired into your circumstances, and it is clear that you have been letting your life go to waste.
You have potential, but you have not been fulfilling it. You need a new start, and a new chance. Your case is exactly what was envisaged in the Young Offenders Act 2003, and I intend to use the new powers given me by that Act. I direct that you are henceforth subject to a Minority Order and that your legal date of birth is now May 17th, 1994."

Victoria was now 15 and put under the wardship of Mr Higgins, her new guardian. Expected to attend school, live in his house, obey his rules and be subject to discipline if she failed to meet his expectations. It was a tough adjustment for her.

But part of her was hopeful about this new turn of affairs. It was better than being turned out on the street and at least she didn't have to worry about where her next meal was coming from. There wasn't much of a life to leave behind anyway and going back to school wasn't so bad. She had always been a bright girl but lacked encouragement. And Mr Higgins was insistent that she would do well in what he termed her 'second chance'.

And although that first night he'd taken a great deal of time to explain what he expected of her, clearly telling her the household rules and the consequences of breaking them, she was an entire month in the house before she experienced the real meaning of this.

Arriving late home from school she was surprised to find him waiting for her. He had been expecting her home at 4:15, while she had gone to the shops on her way back and didn't understand what she had done wrong. He berated her for not asking permission to go to the shops and she argued that it was on her way and she was already outside the house so didn't think she needed permission.

She was then dispatched to do her homework with the promise of 'talking about this later'. After dinner she was sent up to her room to await him and the conclusion of the discussion. Sitting on her bed in the childlike nightdress they made her wear and clutching her teddy bear she felt resentful of the situation. What was the point of trying so hard to be good when you got into trouble anyway? The minutes ticked by and she alternated between anxiety and anger.

When he entered the room carrying a slipper she felt afraid but stared sullenly at her nightdress. He sat on the bed and spoke in a firm but gentle voice, about how the rules were for her own good and he had to know where she was at all times. That it wasn't proper for a 15 year-old to be wandering around on her own. That he didn't want to punish her but it was for her own good.

He stood her before him and asked her did she have anything to say. She knew what he wanted to hear but her frustration at the situation took over, she was 25 for christ's sake and she hadn't done anything wrong. All she could say was how unfair it was, that she had been good and he was punishing her for no reason.

With a sigh, he pulled her over his knee lifting up her nightdress and started to spank her with his hand. She gasped at how much it hurt but tried to stay still, not wanting him to know how much. He spanked her hard and fast making her bottom sore and hot and she held as still as she could, refusing to give in. He finally stopped and stood her up and asked her again had she anything to say. Less sure of herself she whined, 'but it's not fair, it really isn't', pleading with her eyes. Over his knee she went again, panties pulled down to bare her bottom. Now she couldn't help but wriggle as the smacks rained down even harder. But she stubbornly clung to thinking she was right and refused to say she was sorry.

When he stopped again she thought it was over, but to her shock he positioned her over the end of the bed. Panties down, nightdress pulled up high above her waist, he picked up the slipper. Paused and looked at her expectantly but she refused to tell him that she was sorry. She had survived the spanking, how hard could a slipper be?

The first strokes took her breath away, making her gasp in shock. She had never felt anything like it. He continued increasingly harder as she struggled to stay still and take them, her mind struggling to believe that someone would do this to her. Her bottom on fire with the pain. Stroke after stroke until she was yelping and pleading for him to stop. After several more he asked her was she sorry and she replied she was, that she was very sorry and wouldn't do it again. She would have done anything to make him stop.

Standing her before him he told her that he was sorry that they had to go through all that before she had admitted what she had done and apologised. That it would have been much easier for both of them if she'd done so straight away. Then asked her was she ready to take her punishment. Her cries that she has just been punished were met with a frown and she quickly changed tact, mumbling that yes she was ready.

He ordered her back over the bed and pronounced 10 with the slipper. Tapping her already sore bottom he then took aim and smashed the slipper down. She knelt on the floor from the pain struggling to breathe and count 'one, thank you sir' as requested. And so on for the remaining strokes. Some she managed to stay in position for but many had her standing upright howling in pain. The last one, hardest of all and she collapsed on the bed clutching her bottom.

He gave her a comforting hug and reassured her that all was forgiven before tucking her into bed with her teddy. As he switched off the light and left the room she turned over on her tummy, gently touching her bottom with her hands. It was still hot and very sore and she winced as she found a particularly sore spot.

The reality of the Minority Order had just hit home. Firmly.