Family Integrity

Category: Some child abuse cases in NZ – since Section 59 amended

  • Mum jailed for stabbing son

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4861032a11.html

    JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

    ATTEMPTED INFANTICIDE: Kim Knoll has been jailed for three years for attempting to kill her young son, first with a boning knife and then with a pillow.

    Mum jailed for stabbing son

    By CLIO FRANCIS – Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 26 February 2009

    Kim Knoll let out a small gasp as she was this morning jailed for three years for attempting to murder her young son.

    Knoll, 20, was overcome by tears when Justice Pamela Andrews handed down her sentence at the High Court in Auckland this morning.

    Crown prosecutor Ross Douche said the reasons behind why Knoll had stabbed her two-year-old boy with a boning knife would never fully be understood.

    “For whatever reason, and that is still not clear, she determined to take steps to end the life of her child,” Douche said.

    During the trial the Crown said that Knoll had also tried to suffocate her son with a pillow during the incident at their Te Aroha home in May last year.

    Only the arrival of Knoll’s brother interrupted her actions and saved the life of the child, Douche said.

    Defence lawyer Michael McIvor said his client now accepted she was responsible for her son’s injuries.

    “It’s only really now that this has happened and at the end of the day she’s accepted it.”

    He did not accept a probation officer’s report which said Knoll showed no remorse or empathy towards her son.

    “What she wants to do is be reunited with her child,” he said.

    Mr McIvor told the court that Knoll had a very supportive family.

    “This has been a huge setback for the family, who came out from South Africa for a better life,” he said.

    Justice Andrews said she had received a letter from Knoll’s parents.

    “They said you were always a loving and caring mother to Lashawn. Understandably they have found this whole matter very difficult and confusing.

    “None of them can believe that you were responsible for what happened.

    “You are his mother and he ought to be able to trust you completely,” she said.

    Justice Andrews said mitigating factors for Knoll’s sentence included her lack of previous convictions, her young age, her parental role, her traumatic background and the letter she had written expressing remorse.

  • Baby deteriorates in hospital after alleged assault

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4830730a11.html

    Baby deteriorates in hospital after alleged assault

    Tuesday, 27 January 2009

    The health of the 10-week-old baby attacked at the weekend has deteriorated and it is now listed as critical, police say.

    A 28-year-old man is due to appear Lower Hutt District Court on Thursday charged with assault.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Cooper said the baby was now in a “pretty serious” condition with a head injury and charges would likely be upgraded if the child died.

    Police have refused to say whether the accused is the baby’s father.

  • Another Child Abuse Death – Same Factors

    TRAGIC TOT: 16-month-old Riley Justin Osborne.

    MEDIA RELEASE

    28 December 2008

    Another Child Abuse Death – Same Factors

    Family First NZ says that the tragic child abuse death of 16-month old Northland boy Riley Osborne is more evidence of the key causes of child abuse which we are failing to acknowledge and tackle.

    “Report after report from both CYF and UNICEF and international research all confirm that children are most at risk where there is the presence of drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown, the presence of non-biological adults in the house, low maternal age, poverty and single parenthood,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First.

    “This latest case shows a number of factors including drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown, welfare dependency and low maternal age.”

    “We are missing actual child abuse because politicians and the Children’s Commissioner have confused the issue by treating parents who smack as child abusers, and told us that we should spend all our time and resources targeting them.”

    “Despite a 30% increase in CYF notifications in the last twelve months (yet a corresponding decrease in the number of cases requiring further action), the ‘roll of horror’ of child abuse deaths continues with cases including 2 year old Jhia Te Tua, 16 month old Sachin Dhani, 22-month-old Tyla-Maree Flynn, 3 year old Nia Glassie, Ten-month-old Jyniah Te Awa, Two-month-old Tahani Mahomed, 3 year old Dylan Rimoni, 7-year-old Duwayne Pailegutu, and now little Riley.”

    “The rate of child abuse deaths has continued unabated despite the passing of the anti-smacking law.”

    “Until we acknowledge drug abuse, our culture of alcohol abuse and the resulting harm, the role that family structure has on the safety of children, and the desparate need for better support and resources for new and especially young parents, we will never see progress in our battle against child abuse,” says Mr McCoskrie.

    “It’s time for the country to administer a ‘truth serum’ to the debate on child abuse rather than our ideologically flawed approach which has failed.”

    ENDS

    For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:

    Bob McCoskrie – National Director

    Mob. 027 55 555 42

  • Northland baby dies from head injuries – named

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4802546a11.html

    Northland baby dies from head injuries

    Wednesday, 24 December 2008

    A 16-month-old baby rushed to Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital has died overnight from injuries police say were not accidental. He was Riley Justin Osborne

    The child was taken to Auckland from Kerikeri in Northland on Friday night for emergency surgery.

    Police said the injuries left the child blind and with brain injuries but in spite of specialist medical care, he died last night.

    His death was now being treated as a homicide and 17 police officers were working on the inquiry. A post mortem was due today.

    Earlier this week police confirmed that they had been called out previously to noisy parties at the house where the young boy lived. The child resided with his mother, 21, and her partner. Another person was also believed to live in the house.

    Police also said the boy’s birth father was “not in the picture”.

    The house on Cobham Rd, was in the same street where the body of slain teenager Liberty Templeman was found last month.

    The badly hurt infant was taken first to the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa before he was flown to Auckland.

    The mother and other relatives were believed to have been at the boy’s hospital bedside and were spoken to by police.

    NZPA

  • Police called to house before boy’s injuries

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4800519a11.html

    Police called to house before boy’s injuries

    Monday, 22 December 2008

    Police have previously been called out to the Northland home of a 15-month-old boy who remains in a serious condition in hospital today with head injuries.

    Neighbours said police were often called after all-night parties at the Kerikeri house where the boy lived with his 21-year-old mother, her partner and at least one other person, The New Zealand Herald reported today.

    The boy’s birth father was “not in the picture”, police said.

    The house is on Cobham Rd, the same road where murdered teenager Liberty Templeman’s body was found last month.

    Kerikeri police began a criminal inquiry at the weekend into the boy’s injuries, which are expected to leave him blind and with permanent brain damage.

    The boy was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa and then flown to Auckland’s Starship Hospital on Friday night, where he underwent urgent surgery.

    The child is now in the custody of Child, Youth and Family Services.

    Far North area commander Inspector Chris Scahill said police had not been called out in relation to the boy in the past.

    He did not know at this stage if the boy’s parents were known to police and establishing that would be part of the inquiry.

    Police yesterday conducted a detailed scene examination at the house to try to establish if that was where the boy sustained his injuries.

    They also spoke to the mother and other relatives at the boy’s bedside at Starship.

    Mr Scahill said police were continuing their inquiries with the boy’s family and other people relevant to the investigation.

    They appealed for anybody with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the boy’s injuries to contact Kerikeri police.

  • Mother sentenced after toddler chokes to death

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4797276a11.html

    Mother sentenced after toddler chokes to death

    Thursday, 18 December 2008

    A Dunedin mother of five who killed her 22-month-old daughter earlier this year escaped a custodial sentence today.

    The 27-year-old, who has permanent name suppression, admitted infanticide after an initial charge of murder was dropped.

    She hit and smothered the girl for crying incessantly, leading to her choking to death on regurgitated food.

    In Dunedin High Court today, Justice Graham Panckhurst said the woman could not be held fully responsible as she was severely depressed at the time of the attack.

    He sentenced her to two years’ intensive supervision and 100 hours of community work.

  • Mum stole paper round money, punched girl

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4794853a12855.html

    Mum stole paper round money, punched girl

    By MICHELLE DUFF – Manawatu Standard | Tuesday, 16 December 2008

    A woman who demanded her 9-year-old daughter’s paper round money before punching her in the back of the head did it because she was “stressed”, a court has heard.

    The 34-year-old solo mother pleaded guilty to a charge of assault on a child in Dannevirke District court yesterday, for the incident on December 1.

    The court heard how at 9am, the Dannevirke beneficiary stormed into her daughter’s room and demanded the cash the girl had made from her paper run.

    When she refused the woman began to shout, and an argument ensued.

    As the girl left the bedroom the woman followed her down the hallway and punched her in the back of the head with a closed fist, the court was told.

    The girl fell to the ground where the woman began kicking her “numerous times” in the back, before she managed to scramble up and out of the house.

    She ran to an address down the road, where police were called.

    When spoken to by police the woman admitted all the evidence given by her daughter was true, and said in her defence: “I have been really stressed about a lot of things, and I just lost it.”

    The girl was removed from the home by Child, Youth and Family, and is staying with an aunt. It was a condition of the woman’s bail she have no contact with her daughter and refrain from consuming alcohol, the court heard.

    Judge Jennifer Binns convicted the woman of assault, remanding her for sentencing until February 26 so a victim impact statement could be prepared.

    She amended the bail conditions so the woman could see her daughter in supervised visits. “I’ve seen these cases before, and sometimes it’s detrimental if there is no contact at all.”

    The maximum sentence is two years’ imprisonment.

  • Child force-fed wasabi and mustard, court hears

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4786639a11.html

    Child force-fed wasabi and mustard, court hears

    By GLENN McLEAN – Taranaki Daily News | Tuesday, 09 December 2008

    A Taranaki real estate agent charged with serious child abuse has been accused of force feeding a child spoonfuls of wasabi and mustard.

    The agent, who has interim name suppression, denied five charges of assaulting a child, as well as charges of ill treating a child and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

    The agent appeared in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday for a depositions hearing that is expected to finish today.

    Crown prosecutor Cherie Clarke said the agent is accused of deliberately slamming a door on a child’s hand, punching a child in the head and stomach, bending her fingers back, force feeding the child mustard, the hot Japanese condiment wasabi and hand soap, as well as making the child drink perfume.

    Ms Clarke said the offending was punishment for the girl after she forgot to do things like get the washing in or wipe down a bench.

    After the police got involved the child was taken out of the defendant’s home.

    It was after that happened the Crown says the accused put a block on the child’s cellphone and told her that it would only be unblocked if she told police or the defendant’s lawyer that she was making the accusations up.

    Two child witnesses were called to give evidence yesterday.

    The first, a friend of the alleged victim, told the court she had seen the accused force a teaspoon of wasabi into the mouth of the girl.

    “She was trying to spit it out because it was so hot,” the witness said.

    The young witness, who was giving evidence from behind a screen, also saw the accused punch her friend, slam the door on her hand, as well as forcing her to “basically do all the jobs you have to do in the house”.

    The second witness, the complainant in the case, said she never told anyone about the abuse because she thought she would get teased.

    She denied making the accusations up when cross-examined by defence counsel Kylie Pascoe, although she admitted running away from home and stealing money from people at school.

  • Masked man stabbed my boy – Mum

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4779974a11.html

    Masked man stabbed my boy – Mum

    Waikato Times | Tuesday, 02 December 2008

    A teenage mother accused of stabbing her two-year-old son says the boy was attacked by a masked man who forced his way into her home.

    Kim Knoll, 19, is charged with attempting to murder her son at her Te Aroha home on May 5 this year by stabbing him with a boning knife.

    She also faces an alternative count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

    At the start of her trial at the High Court in Hamilton yesterday, Crown prosecutor Louella Dunn told the court that Knoll had given two differing accounts of how her son received his stab wound.

    The Crown alleges Knoll stabbed her son in the stomach at her Centennial Ave home and then tried to suffocate him with a pillow.

    Ms Dunn told the jury that in an interview with police, Knoll said she had been confronted by a masked man in a nearby park on the day of the incident.

    The man had been armed with a knife and demanded money.

    Later that day, Knoll said, the man turned up at her home and forced his way into her bedroom where he stabbed her son and then tried to suffocate him.

    In a second statement, however, Knoll said a tattooed man named “Wally” had accidentally stabbed the toddler while playing with a knife in her bedroom.

    When her son started screaming, Knoll told police she “didn’t know what to do” and put a pillow over his face to stop him screaming.

    The Crown alleges Knoll’s brother witnessed her smothering the toddler when he walked into her bedroom.

    A few minutes later Knoll’s father returned home and found his grandson gasping for breath and blue in the face. He also had a wound across his stomach.

    The child was taken to a Te Aroha emergency clinic and then on to Waikato Hospital.

    The boy has since made a full recovery.

    The court heard that Knoll and her family emigrated from South Africa two years ago.

    Ms Dunn said that leading up to the alleged stabbing, Knoll had experienced “personal problems” with her ex-boyfriend, Jayden Te Moananui, and her older sister, Blanche Knoll.

    Knoll had dated Mr Moananui early in the year and was allegedly distressed to discover he was dating her sister. On the day of the alleged stabbing, Knoll had confronted her sister about the relationship.

    The Crown planned to call 12 witnesses in the week-long trial before Justice Andrews and a jury of three men and nine women.

  • Dad who smacked loses son

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4761488a6009.html

    Dad who smacked loses son
    Katie Wylie and Nelson Mail – The Press | Saturday, 15 November 2008

    A Christchurch man has lost custody of his young son despite his trial on assault charges being abandoned.

    Rowan James Flynn, 53, was this week scheduled to stand trial in Nelson on five charges of assaulting his 12-year-old son, then aged 11.

    He also faced one charge of assaulting a female and two charges of leaving a child under 14 without reasonable supervision.

    Nelson District Court Judge Tony Zohrab discharged Flynn after the Crown offered no evidence on the assault charges.

    Prosecutor Janine Bonifant said the decision did not mean the Crown believed the alleged offences had not taken place.

    Flynn, an unemployed father-of-four now living in a caravan in Christchurch, was charged after his son called the police from the family’s Nelson home.

    He had allegedly hit his son about five times on the bottom with a wooden spoon after he was disobedient, and he said it was a “tiny issue” that blew up.

    He said he had also “clipped” his son around the face but, as a Christian, believed the Bible condoned his disciplinary methods.

    “I smacked him but I never assaulted him,” he said. “When he was in a defiant mood there was just no dealing with him.

    “I do very strongly believe in smacking children as a means of correction.”

    Yesterday, he learned that Child, Youth and Family (CYF) has interim custody of his son and that he may not contact the boy, who is now living with Flynn’s sister in Nelson, without consent and supervision.

    “It’s absolutely disgusting. There was no need for it and it is just a clear and blatant abuse of (CYF’s) powers,” he said.

    “Obviously, he doesn’t like getting his bum smacked, but that’s the whole point. I do not pose a threat to him at all.”

    CYF general manager of operations, Lorraine Williams, said: “While criminal charges may have been dropped, in this case, on the balance of probabilities, we still have concerns for the boy’s safety and will continue to work with his family for a successful outcome.”

    Nelson police have defended their decision to prosecute Flynn as correct and in the public interest.

    Family First New Zealand national director Bob McCoskrie said the withdrawal of the charges was proof that good parents trying to deal with unacceptable behaviour from their children were being dragged before the courts without evidence to back up the charges.

    “This case adds to our growing list of parents who are either being convicted, charged or investigated for attempting to correct their children in the most appropriate and effective way,” he said.

    Children’s Commissioner Cindy Kiro said Flynn’s methods of discipline were not justified.

    “It doesn’t wash, frankly. There is no justification for violence against children and people who think that there is basically need to learn some new techniques,” she said.

    “They need to learn that in fact violence begets violence and this is no way to treat children.”