A mother has been arrested and charged with child abuse for pulling her six-year-old child from her car by his hair, hitting him with a booster seat and throwing him to the ground before repeatedly slapping him.

Pamela Gaensel, 47, from the city of Sunrise, in the US state of Florida, was charged after her son was left marked and bruised on Tuesday, 28th November, according to local media reports.

Prosecutors allege that she pulled her six-year-old son, who has not been named, out of the car by his hair before throwing him onto the pavement.

She then allegedly threw the booster seat at him, hitting him in the leg.

She then placed the child back in the car before pulling him out again and allegedly throwing him to the ground.

The boy was reportedly crying and pleading with her to stop.

She allegedly repeatedly slapped him.

When the police arrived on the scene, they found the young boy with marks and bruises on his face and body, according to reports.

The defendant has claimed that she was disciplining her child and that she had ‘only’ spanked him.

But CCTV cameras allegedly filmed the incident and reportedly confirmed the prosecutor’s allegations.

Gaensel was released on a USD 5,000 bond on Thursday, 30th November.