Timaru woman pleads not guilty to attack on mother-to-be

A Timaru woman has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a 19-week pregnant woman on Valentines Day last year.

Whitiora Henry, 22, appeared in the Timaru District Court before Judge Joanna Maze on Tuesday on one charge of injuring with intent to injure and one of theft.

Crown prosecutor Matt Beattie told the court it was alleged Henry had planned to assault a Timaru woman on February 14, 2015 after she had learnt the woman had slept with her partner, Nathan Weir, also of Timaru.

During the incident, the woman was allegedly pushed to the ground, punched and kicked in the stomach. The defendant was aware she was 19 weeks pregnant at the time, Beattie told the court.

It was alleged Henry became aware they had slept with each other after exchanging messages with the woman on Facebook, Beattie said.

Some time before the alleged incident, Weir had also noticed money missing from his bank account, which had been taken by the woman, his former partner.

Speaking to the court from the witness box, the woman said she lived in Pareora at the time and had broken up with Weir at the beginning of 2015.

In response to questions, she said she had seen Weir in a romantic context three times while he was in a relationship with Henry, and had told Henry about it through an exchange of messages on Facebook.

On the day of the incident, she said Weir had contacted her and then picked her up. He drove her to Henry’s house where they proceeded to the backyard, where Henry appeared shortly afterwards.

‘‘She came up to me and grabbed me and pushed me to the ground,’’ the woman said. While on the ground, she held her stomach as she was kicked. I was trying to protect the baby.’’

She heard Henry say ’’you f..... b...., I’m not done with you yet.’’

The incident left bruising and swelling on her face, grazed knees, and left her scared and upset, she told the court. She left the property and went to a local dairy to use a phone to call her mother, who then took her to hospital.

During cross-examination, defence counsel Craig Ruane put it to the woman she had made it clear to Henry her boyfriend had been cheating on her in the hope they would get back together, which she admitted.

In response to questions about money missing from Weir’s bank account, she admitted withdrawing $120.

He then put it to her that Weir had attacked her, not Henry, because he was angry with her for spoiling the relationship between him and Henry, which she denied.

Weir was also called as a witness, telling the court his phone was used by Henry to arrange to meet the woman to confront her about the missing money.

At the address where Henry lived, he said he confronted her about the money and asked why she had taken it, when Henry appeared from the side of the house. Henry had also confronted her about the money and tried grabbing her bag, before pushing her to the ground.

The woman had continued to hold onto the bag while on the ground, but when it was taken, she was punched four times and kicked in the stomach two or three times, he said.

During the incident, his missing eftpos card was found in the woman’s bag and her mobile phone taken and ‘‘destroyed’’, he said.

The trial Wednesday. continues on