The partner of a Napier mother who appeared in court last week charged under new child abuse laws has pleaded guilty to 10 sex charges spanning six years.
The Napier man appeared before Judge Geoff Rea in the Napier District Court yesterday by audio visual link on 10 charges detailing sexually violating his partner's daughter in Masterton and Napier between December 2010 and February this year.
He admitted five charges of unlawful sexual connection, one of rape, two of indecent assault and two for sexual connection with a young person.
The girl's mother, who appeared in the Napier District Court last Wednesday, was also charged after allegedly knowing her daughter was being sexually violated by the man.
It's understood she is only the second person charged under new child abuse legislation.
The 42-year-old woman faces two charges of being a member of the same household as her daughter and failing to take reasonable steps to protect her despite knowing she was at risk of sexual assault or rape.
The first two charges were laid under the Crimes Amendment Act (No 3) which allows police to charge everyone in a household for failing to protect a child.
She also faces a third charge of wilfully neglecting her daughter in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering between December 2010 and December 2012.
She was remanded on bail without entering a plea until March 23 and could not be named as it could lead to the identification of the victim.
The man was convicted and remanded in custody until sentencing on April 7.