Pregnant mother jailed for soup ladle beating

A pregnant mother-of-six has been jailed for eight months and ordered to complete anger management counselling after beating a boy with a plastic soup ladle.

Olga Merewhati Kuti, 38, was sentenced at Alexandra District Court yesterday after earlier admitting injuring the child, who cannot be identified, the Otago Daily Times reported.

She told police she had lost control but now realised the attack had been cruel.

Police said Kuti hit the boy around the buttocks with the 30cm ladle after becoming angry with him.

He tried to block the blows and was struck on the arms and hands, then, after he fell to the floor, Kuti struck him on the legs and body.

Finally she dropped the ladle and hit him about the head and face with her bare hands.

The boy was taken by Child Youth and Family after being treated for bruising at Dunedin Hospital.

Judge Kevin Phillips said Kuti's life had been tragic; she had six children from a previous marriage, "which was a disaster to say the least", was pregnant to another partner and suffered depression.

He noted Kuti had previous convictions for violence and, despite his sympathy for her background, "that was a prolonged, savage and severe attack on a defenceless child".

- NZPA