Before Heather Thorpe gave birth to her son, her ex-husband filmed her smashing her pregnant belly with a hammer -- twice -- in an apparent attempt to show how "hard" her child was.
When her ex, Sean Hanlon, showed the video to police, they refused to press charges and insisted that no crime was committed, according to the Daily Mail.
In the short video, Thorpe can be seen lifting her shirt for the camera and smacking her pregnant stomach twice. Hanlon says he started filming when Thorpe went to his toolbox and said, "My baby's hard as anything -- just watch."
Today, her 1-year-old Jonathon is doing fine. Thorpe, who only went through five minutes of labor to birth the little tyke, claims that he's a "super kid" who is already walking, talking and reading.
But there's another dark side to the already-confusing family story.
Hanlon told The Mirror that he "couldn't believe what he was seeing" when he shot the video. The two were separated a short time later, and last December, Thorpe called authorities accusing Hanlon of domestic violence.
He used the footage he'd taken in his defense, as evidence of Thorpe's character. The video was released this week.
"I couldn’t believe it when the police didn’t press charges," he told the Daily Mail. "I also sent the video to social services who have been sending someone round to see her regularly, but anyone can put an act on in front of them."
Thorpe's family claims that her current partner is Jonathon's biological father, though the man himself reportedly denies it. Thorpe and Jonathon currently live in her parents' home in Chelmsley Wood, U.K.
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