Adopted boy was abused so mother could appear on TV

An American woman who used extreme methods to punish her adopted Russian son in order to get on TV has been convicted of child abuse.

A court in Anchorage, Alaska, was shown a video in which Jessica Beagley, 36, poured spicy sauce into the seven-year-old's mouth and then forced him screaming into a cold shower.

The jury heard that the video was sent to the Dr Phil show, in which parents can seek help over child behaviour issues.

Defence lawyers said Beagley was desperate to appear on the programme after normal punishments failed to work on the boy, who they said had emotional problems. "It is our feeling Jessica was doing the best she could," said William Ingaldson.

Beagley could be jailed for up to a year or fined up to $10,000 (£6,000) when she is sentenced on Monday.

Moscow suspended adoptions by American families in April after a woman put her seven-year-old son on a flight to Russia alone, with a note saying she could no longer care for him. The suspension was lifted in June.