Angry mum assaults schoolgirl bullies

Schoolyard bullying drove a mother to violence when she spied her daughter’s alleged tormenter in the street.

Katrina Caroline Hunt, 41, of Cambridge, parked her car and crossed the road for a confrontation that ended with her punching a teenager.

Her actions were fuelled by concerns about her daughter being bullied, defence counsel Glen Prentice told the Hamilton District Court this month.

According to the summary of facts, Hunt verbally abused and threatened the 14- and 15-year-old girls dressed in school uniform, then slapped one.

Another girl in the group then slapped Hunt. Hunt in turned grabbed the girl in a bear hug, punched her in the face, then threw her to the ground.

‘‘Members of the public have then pulled [Hunt] away,’’ the summary said.

The scene unfolded outside Liquorland in Cambridge on the afternoon of August 10, 2016. Hunt’s three children and a fourth child watched the fracas from the car.

Hunt pleaded guilty to two charges of common assault and appeared in the Hamilton District Court on October 12.

‘‘[Hunt] did actually lose her job because of this behaviour, because she did have a role working with children,’’ Prentice said.

She had been genuinely con- cerned about bullying of her daughter, Prentice said, and she explained the steps she had taken to address it when she spoke to police after the incident.

There had been an incident with her daughter the day of the assault, he said.

Which school the girls went to was not disclosed in court.

Hunt was convicted and remanded on bail until sentencing at the Rotorua District Court on November 28.

No parent wanted their child to suffer even a moment of bullying, Post Primary Teachers’ Association president Angela Roberts said.

‘‘It’s really unfortunate when things get to this stage,’’ she said.

‘‘As a parent, I know … you want it to stop immediately. Unfortunately, if it’s serious bullying, it can take a while to really, sincerely stop it without driving it underground.’’

A dean or form teacher was the first port of call for parents, she said, because they knew the students best.

Parents who felt they were not getting anywhere could go up the chain to senior leadership or the school principal, Roberts said.

But there was no quick fix for serious bullying, she said.

‘‘You can’t just go: stop that; and the bully goes: OK; and next thing they’re being really kind and supportive.’’

- Fairfax NZ