Child abuse jury retires for the day

A teenage girl was treated more like a ‘‘slave or worker’’ than a child by her mother and stepfather, fed little food and given inadequate clothing while slaving away on a farmlet, a court has heard.

But lawyers for the parents say their daughter lied about being abused so she could stay with her older boyfriend.

A trial over allegations against the parents, who cannot be named without breaching the child’s automatic name suppression, is wrapping up in the Palmerston North District Court, with the jury sent out to deliberate on Monday afternoon.

Both parents are charged with neglecting the girl between 2011 and 2016 by not giving her food or clothing, and through emotional and verbal abuse.

The stepfather is also accused of assaulting the child with a range of weapons, including a spatula, rolling pin and meat tenderiser, at various times throughout Horowhenua and Manawatu¯ .

The Crown says the mother’s failure to stop the assaults amounted to her being complicit in physical abuse. Neighbours gave evidence during the trial about the child looking sick and withdrawn, and of hearing the stepfather yelling at her for hours on end.

Someone the child worked for and teachers at schools she went to said she often had inadequate food. She was also seen walking in the rain at night in the middle of winter without a raincoat or shoes. The child said her stepfather would often yell at her if chores were not done, made her eat hot sauce and assaulted her multiple times.

In his closing address, Crown prosecutor Karl van der Plas said neighbours backing up the child’s story about being yelled at made her a credible witness.

That gave her evidence about being physically abused considerable weight, he said. ‘‘The conclusion is inescapable.’’

She was open about the family sometimes having good times, such as going on holiday, but was sure about being abused, van der Plas said. Although the mother did not assault her daughter, she was complicit in the abuse by either failing to intervene or being supportive of it, he said.

The stepfather’s lawyer Steve Winter said the child said there was food in the freezer and a cupboard, and photos showed the child wearing a jacket.

She ran away from home when told to discontinue her relationship and only spoke of being abused when her parents were going to get her, Winter said. ‘‘She has been caught in a set of allegations that have grown beyond anything she thought may happen.’’

The stepfather was a man known to raise his voice at times, Winter said. ‘‘In some respects, he is not a good parent. He swears far too much, particularly around [the child]. His frustration can turn into rudeness.’’

But that did not make him a child abuser, Winter said.

The mother’s lawyer Mark Alderdice said she loved her daughter and was shocked to hear the abuse allegations. The ‘‘obvious answer’’ was the abuse did not happen, but if it did, she was unaware of it, Alderdice said.

Before sending the jury out, Judge Lance Rowe said neglect had to cause suffering and adverse health effects.

‘‘We are not talking about a dirty backyard or being asked to do some chores. We are talking about the standard of care of a reasonable person, as you judge it to be.’’