A Wanganui man beat a child who could not pronounce a word properly, using a slipper and drumstick, in an attack that left the child needing hospital care.
The man, who has name suppression, turned himself in to police the day after the August incident.
Whanganui District Court was told he was attempting to tutor a child and became frustrated with the boy's inability to pronounce a word. He punished him with a slipper, and then a drumstick, with repeated blows to the back of the hand, and then to his head.
The assault stopped while the child tried to improve his skills, but continued again with a smack on the backside. The child again tried to pronounce the word, and when he couldn't, the man slapped him around the head.
The lesson ended with the boy and another child both screaming and crying, frightened and confused.
