CYF examines battered teen's case

Child, Youth and Family is investigating its dealings with the family of a teenage boy whose aunt whipped him with a hose and forced him to drink his own blood.

Shandi Barlow, 42, has pleaded guilty to charges including wilful ill-treatment of a child and assault using weapons on her relative who was 14 when he went into her care in Hamilton in 2003.

CYF's operations general manager Lorraine Williams said the department had not had custody of of the boy and had not placed him in Barlow's care.

"Nevertheless we were working with this family at the time and [the] seriousness of these events are of extreme concern."

She said CYF was looking into its involvement with the boy and his family but could not comment further because the matter was still before the court.

The Waikato Times reported court evidence that the boy was beaten until he bled and made to drink his own blood, was dressed in women's clothes, made to strip to his underwear, hit with a bowl until it smashed, whipped with a hose and was not allowed to use the toilet.

On Tuesday, on day two of her trial in the Hamilton District Court, Barlow, who now lives in Manukau, pleaded guilty to charges of assault using weapons, injuring with intent, assault, wilful ill-treatment of a child and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The pleas followed evidence from her former Hamilton neighbour Robyn Whanga whom Barlow had served with a trespass notice after she confronted Barlow about her treatment of the boy.

Ms Whanga said she saw a "scrawny" boy picking food scraps off a barbecue and being made to scrub a mat for about eight hours. Dr John Sheardown also gave evidence about scars found on the boy's body.

Barlow was granted bail until sentencing in mid September.