Sibling Justice

So today the Horde was playing upstairs and all the sudden I hear James screaming bloody murder. So I yell for him to come downstairs. He arrives and is crying and carrying on. I can't understand a word he has said. So I tell him that as soon as he stops crying I will gladly solve his problem for him. I finally get him so he's just snuffling and whining.

"Jayden hurt me."
"OK, I need something more than that. How?"
"She stepped on my face."
"She what?"
"She stepped on my face."
"How is it that you were where she COULD step on your face?"
"I was on the floor."
"Why were you on the floor? Were you playing?"
"I tripped."
"So you tripped and fell and Jayden stepped on your face?"
"Yes."

By this time, Katy and Jayden have both come down stairs as well. Katy keeps trying to butt in and tell me what happened. While I appreciate this tendency, I do want to hear it from the involved parties first and foremost. So I turn to Jayden.

"Did you step on James' face?"
"MmmHmmm." Jayden is nodding in agreement.
"Did you do it on purpose or accident?"
"On purpose."
"You went over to James and stepped on his face on purpose?"
"Yes."

At this point I'm wondering if Jayden even understands what on purpose means, being only 5 and all.

"Katy, did Jayden step on James' face on purpose?"
"Yes, but..."
"Thank you Katy, that's all I needed. Jayden, you are going to get a spanking, you do not step on your brother's face."

Jayden starts to really cry, James is still caterwalling and carrying on and Katy is really trying to get a word in edgewise. I have Jayden placed on my lap in preperation for her spanking.

"Mommy, I really need to say something."
"What Katy?"
"James was holding Jayden's feet and that's why she stepped on his face, she was trying to get him to let go."

Um, that doesn't jive with what James just told me about tripping.

"James, come over here."
He walks slowly over, still snuffling and sniffing, holding his nose, which does look red and a little swollen, but no bruising or bleeding, so I'm thinking it's not broken.

"Were you holding Jayden's feet like Katy said?"
"Yes."
"So you lied to me about tripping?"
"Yes."
"Then you deserved it, go to your room."

James goes and sits on the stairs and cries and kicks his feet. He was really hoping for some justification for his pain and suffering. I think that maybe he'll learn not to grab hold of his sister's feet.