A Kaingaroa Village man has been spared a prison sentence for assaulting a young boy, because he would be exposed to bad influences, a court has heard.
Andrew Richard Hikaiti, 23, was sentenced in the Rotorua District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to assaulting a 7-year-old boy at Kaingaroa Village on November 18.
Hikaiti chased the victim into his home and slapped him hard on the leg and bottom several times after the boy had thrown stones on the street.
Hikaiti had been on home detention at the time for assaulting a woman and had breached the conditions of his sentence by being outside his residence, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Tim Barclay said the pre-sentence report indicated that since the latest assault Hikaiti had been making good progress with his home detention requirements.