Mother punched boy for bullying disabled son

A woman became so enraged with children bullying her disabled son she punched one of them, Nelson District Court has been told.

The Nelson woman, who admitted a charge of assaulting an 11-year-old boy, was granted name suppression by Judge David Ongley.

Defence counsel Mark Dollimore said there was a history of tension between a group of boys and the woman's partially blind son.

Before the assault, she found him lying on the driveway, having been spat on by the other boys. They had also repeatedly flicked him in his good eye with a T-shirt, Mr Dollimore said.

Police said an 11-year-old verbally abused the mother when she tried to confront him about the bullying. She pushed him "lightly" off his skateboard, and punched his cheek. One of his teeth went into his tongue, which made it bleed.

"It's said a group of children are being allowed to bully a smaller child with a medical problem. It was a catalyst for her to become distressed and understandably irate," Judge Ongley said.

"But there's still the fact she hit a child."

He fined the woman $200.

- nzpa