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A three-year-old girl is seriously ill in Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland after a beating police say began two or three weeks ago.
The girl was taken to Rotorua Hospital last Sunday but air-lifted to Starship later in the day where she was in a serious but stable condition.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper, from the Rotorua CIB, said she had been repeatedly assaulted by members of her extended family in the city for up to three weeks before she was taken to Hospital.
"It appears that the assaults intensified over three days at the end of last week and medical treatment sought after at least 36 hours following the last event," he said.
Four Rotorua people had been jointly charged with assaulting the girl.
Two men, aged 19 and 21, and a 17-year-old female appeared in Rotorua District Court and were remanded in custody until Monday.
The fourth person, a 17-year-old man, appeared in Auckland District Court and was due to have a bail hearing today.
The child's mother was not arrested, Mr Loper said.
- NZPA
