KEY POINTS:
A Hastings man who ordered his two daughters to fight each other with boxing gloves before assaulting one of them with a golf club has been jailed.
Pouleta Tailo, 38, had earlier pleaded guilty at Napier District Court to assault with a weapon and driving with an excess breath-alcohol level.
He was sentenced to cumulative terms of three months' jail on each.
In June, last year Tailo told his daughters, aged 11 and 13, to don red boxing gloves and punch each other after they argued about who should hold their baby sister.
He then hit the 11-year-old across the buttocks and arms with a golf putter, leaving her with bruising, swelling and welts.
A short time later, Tailo ordered the girls to sit in a bedroom and to read the Bible while facing a wall.
The next day he poured boiling water on a towel and wrapped it around the girl's sore arm.
At the sentencing yesterday, Judge Richard Watson said there had been some suggestion that this was a traditional method of reducing bruising, but "the direct result of placing that towel on her arm was to cause quite severe blistering".
"The level of discipline that you imposed on your 11-year-old daughter was far beyond what was acceptable in our community and I make that comment particularly in relation to what is described as the `no-smacking bill' which passed subsequent to this offending.
"There is clearly, in our community, an absolute no-hitting rule as far as children and young persons are concerned."
Two months after assaulting his daughter, Tailo was caught driving with a reading of 644 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400mcg.
It was his fifth drink-driving offence in seven years.
Judge Watson said that, because of the number of previous drink-driving charges against Tailo, it was inappropriate for him to receive home detention.
Tailo was also disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to undertake alcohol assessment and counselling and to attend anger management counselling.
- NZPA
