You can always try this...just don't get caught....

Four women who forced two toddlers to fight and filmed them punching each other have each been given 12-month suspended sentences.

Zara Care, 29, Carole Olver, 48, Serenza Olver, 29, and Danielle Olver, 19, all members of the same family from Plymouth, Devon, had pleaded guilty to child cruelty at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how they goaded the youngsters to hit each other in the face, and when one did not fight they called him a "wimp" and a "faggot".

The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services.

During the fight, both children - a boy and a girl - were at different times reduced to tears and were shouted at to carry on.

At one stage the boy was cheered for using a magazine as a weapon and repeatedly hitting the girl around the head, and later a hairbrush was thrown in to the room for them to use.

Passing sentence, Judge Francis Gilbert said he found the film "shocking to watch".

"You laughed at them, you mocked them, you swore at them," he said.

"You compelled them to hit each other even though they clearly did not want to.

"You were cruel, callous, clearly causing the children to hurt each other for your own pleasure."

Care pleaded guilty to causing or procuring the children to be ill-treated in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury and was sentenced to 12 months for each child, to run concurrently and suspended for two years.

Danielle, Serenza and Carole Olver pleaded guilty to jointly inciting the ill-treatment of children and were each sentenced to 12 months for both children, also to run concurrently and suspended for two years.

The fight was filmed on a home video recorder and was found by chance by a person who reported it to social services.

Investigating police officers described the footage as shocking and said that all of those who had seen it were stunned.

The video lasted for seven to eight minutes despite one child tearfully trying to get away after being punched in the face.

The little boy, wearing a nappy and T-shirt, was seen crying after being punched in the face by the girl and was told by one of the four women in the room "not to be a wimp" and to hit her back.

The women were heard laughing as the toddlers were urged to keep on fighting.

At one stage the young boy attempted to get away and climbed into an armchair at which point the women shouted at the little girl to punch him again.

When she hit him, the boy was urged to fight back but said: "No, I don't want to."

The court heard that, when interviewed by police, one of the women said: "I didn't see any harm in toughening them up - I done the same with my own children."