KEY POINTS:
The partner of a West Auckland primary school teacher will appear in court today charged with attacking a 14-year-old boy with a tomahawk.
The boy, who says he was struck twice with the tomahawk handle and twice with the man's hand, needed 11 stitches inside his mouth following the alleged attack at Kaurilands School in Titirangi on Sunday.
The teacher, Karen Middleton, has been moved from her classroom to "other teaching duties" within the school but has not been stood down.
The victim, who spoke to the Herald on condition he was not named, said he and about six friends were riding their bicycles in the school's playground when a teacher started taking photos of them with a cellphone.
He admitted the group began being "cheeky", pretending to pose for the teacher, until one youth asked her why she was taking the photos.
The teacher said nothing but about five minutes later, a car pulled up and a man got out, yelling, "Which one of you guys has been hassling my wife?" the victim said.
When the boy said they had not done anything the man allegedly grabbed his shirt and attacked him while holding the axe under its blade.
"He just had the axe in his hand and had it with the blade pointed towards him, punching me twice there," he said, pointing to his stitched and swollen lip.
The boy said the man also hit two other members of the group.
He said the teacher watched from nearby and did nothing to help.
"I went up to her afterwards and was still bleeding and I was like, "Why didn't you stop your husband doing that?" and she just said, 'Let the police deal with it'."
Witnesses told the boy the teacher picked up the axe and took it back to the classroom.
Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Litherland of Henderson said a 39-year-old man would appear in the Waitakere court today charged with assault and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a tomahawk.
He said police would serve trespass notices on several youths to stop them going on to the Kaurilands School grounds for two years.
"We're taking the action on behalf of the school to prevent any possible recurrence of the events that occurred.
"The school's allowed to have who they want on their property."
The Ministry of Education said the Kaurilands principal contacted it, the police and the School Trustees Association as soon as he became aware of the incident.
Board of trustees chairwoman Gillian Howard said Kaurilands was concerned about the seriousness of the alleged assault.
"The school is co-operating fully with this inquiry and is in contact with all parties.
"The school is offering support to staff, students and the family of the alleged victim."
Mrs Howard emphasised that Ms Middleton was still working.
"She hasn't been in front of the class for the last couple of days and it's our intention that she won't be for [today] anyway ... She wasn't involved in the incident as such.
"Let me make it very clear she hasn't been stood down, she hasn't been suspended, she's doing other teaching duties in the school."
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