Man who bashed baby back in prison
Detention breach after 48 hours
HAMILTON: The man sentenced to home detention after he bashed his 9monthold son and partner is back behind bars.
The 20yearold Waikato man was returned to prison after allegedly breaching the conditions of his home detention.
Two sources confirmed the alleged breach came after the man went to a pub ‘‘to celebrate’’ not being sent to prison.
For legal reasons the man, his baby and partner cannot be named.
He was sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Denise Clark in the Hamilton District Court.
But less than 48 hours into that sentence, which included 160 hours of community work, he was arrested and charged with breaching his conditions.
The same night he was sentenced the man posted a selfie on Facebook with the caption: ‘‘Last day at court sweet. Now I can live my life.’’
The caption also included a word associated with the Mongrel Mob.
The maternal grandfather of the injured boy, now almost 2 years old, spoke to media soon after learning of the arrest.
He was shocked, but not surprised, given the man breached bail twice after his arrest for the assault on the baby.
‘‘That judge will have egg on her face now,’’ the grandfather said.
‘‘This is unreal.’’
The man was facing a starting point of about three years in prison.
But Judge Clark gave him a discount for his guilty pleas, remorse and a ‘‘promise’’ of employment.
‘‘It does seem to me with right environment you are able to behave in quite unobstructive ways,’’ she told him in court on Tuesday.
‘‘This is a long sentence for you, but it is a sentence that allows you to address the needs you do have.’’
The arrest came the same day as police confirmed they were considering whether to appeal Judge Clark’s sentence.
Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said police noted the decision of the court and were ‘‘now taking time to consider the outcome before taking any further steps’’.
‘‘This process is ongoing and we’re not in a position to comment further at this time,’’ he said.
But the baby’s grandfather said:‘‘He’s got to go to prison now.’’
His daughter was also repeatedly assaulted by the man during their relationship.
It was revealed yesterday the man had received a sentence of nine months’ home detention and 160 hours of community service after the brutal beating in February last year.
The 9monthold was taken to hospital with lacerations around his mouth, welts on both sides of his head, multiple cheekbone fractures, a torn bottom lip and tongue and facial grazes.
His eyelids were so swollen that the baby could barely open them.
Court documents stated that the attack happened at a house in the Waikato area on February 19 last year.
The man’s thenpartner was cooking breakfast and he took the baby into the bedroom after becoming frustrated with his continual grizzling — the result of teething.
Alone in the room, the man struck the baby repeatedly on his face and head and grabbed him by the chin and mouth to stifle his cries.
He then forced something solid in the infant’s mouth causing a tear between his tongue and base of his mouth.
From the next room the baby’s mother could hear her partner shouting at the baby.
She threatened to call the police as the attack on the baby continued.
Her partner then turned on her, threatening to burn her with a hot pan before pushing her towards the ground and kicking her legs, hip and shoulder.
As she lay on the ground, he fetched the baby and demanded she feed him.
In November last year the man pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with reckless disregard for the attack on his baby son. He also admitted a charge of assaulting the baby’s mother with a weapon, and six further charges of assaulting a female, relating to her and another woman.
The sentence upset the baby’s maternal family, and his grandfather said it was ‘‘a huge joke’’. — NZME