Northland father accused of assaulting children while family members did nothing

The children were as young as 5 when the abuse allegedly began. Photo / 123rf

WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence and may be upsetting to some readers.

Three children allegedly endured regular beatings from their father receiving one blow for every year of their lives.

The alleged abuse was carried out with extension cords, wooden spoons and an iron rod and was so severe that one of the children was reportedly knocked unconscious.

The man from Kaikohe - whose name is suppressed to protect the identity of the children - is now on trial at the Whangārei District Court for 24 charges of violence against his family, 21 of which relate to his three children and the remainder to his partner.

The charges include assault with a blunt instrument, assault with a weapon, assault with intent to injure, assault on a child and injuring with intent to injure.

The children, all under 15, were allegedly assaulted by their father with various weapons which began when they were as young as 5.

The eldest child, allegedly bore the brunt of the abuse from her father and said on one occasion she was beaten across the face with a metal pole so hard, she passed out.

When she woke up, the Crown said she recalled she could not feel her face.

The girl was also allegedly assaulted by having her head rammed into a wall repeatedly. The father used such force that the wall broke, the Crown said.

“Every child should be able to live safely and securely but for some children, this is not the case,” Danette Cole said in Crown openings to the jury today.

Cole said the father had frequent bad moods and could be set off by the slightest thing such as the dishes not being done.

“When he was in a bad mood, the family suffered abuse.

“They were punched as if they were adults, slapped, kicked and stomped on... They would be hit for every year of their life, sometimes twice,” Cole told the jury.

The children had reportedly disclosed the abuse to aunties, uncles and grandparents who did nothing and even once extended family members witnessed him beating the youngest but still allegedly did nothing.

It was not until one of the children arrived at school with fresh marks on her body from an alleged beating with an extension chord the father was arrested.

The girl said in an evidential interview when she showed her teacher the bruises he responded, “This isn’t healthy.”

The man’s lawyer Martin Hislop told the jury the children were disciplined but not to the extent of the allegations.

“Keep an open mind and do not jump to conclusions... Do not be filled with prejudice because of what is alleged,” Hislop said.

The trial before Judge Gene Tomlinson is expected to last a week and a half.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.