I would gladly pay the penalties for commiting either one of these "crimes". Should they be considered illegal?? NO!!! Smacking your kid's hand, and beating them are two different things. But you didn't see it, so maybe she did go overboard.... I have seen a woman going to town on her kid in Walmart before terribly, and it wasn't right.
I know the only court I really care about is the man upstairs, and my conscience. I have however been lucky enough not to be in any court of any kind, besides traffic, thankfully my conscience has kept my nose clean on the law's courts too. But if I had kids and someone touched them, I'm not sure it would stay that way.
It starts with the nin-com-poop cops enforcing these laws, and the judges and prosecutors. The guy however, has every right to hit the man to get him off of his child, no questions asked. In my opinion. For whatever that's worth.