Northland youth worker sentenced for assaulting child in his care

On one occasion the boy was kicked for hiding his wet clothes under a mattress. Photo / 123rf

A community worker who built his reputation on helping young adults turned to violence behind closed doors, assaulting a child in his care over several years.

The 41-year-old appeared for sentencing in the Kaikohe District Court this week on two charges of assaults child and one assault on a person in a family relationship.

The court heard the man does regular community social work with young adults andhad a whāngai (foster) child in his care for a period of time.

The child was either kicked or hit on the buttocks on at least seven occasions along with another assault witnessed by his partner.

On that occasion, the whānau were cleaning the house and the child was told to clean his room.

He hid some wet clothes between his mattress and the bedframe and when the man discovered them, became angry.

He pushed the boy to the ground and kicked him once in the thigh. When his partner saw, she tried to intervene but was also pushed out into the hallway.

The man turned his attention back to the child and kicked him a second time.

His lawyer Matthew Littlefair told the court his client was remorseful and deeply ashamed about what had occurred.

“It’s a situation where he was trying to do the right thing but ended up a little bit out of his depth and does accept he reacted in a way he wishes he hadn’t,” Littlefair said.

Littlefair said his client was concerned about the consequences of a conviction on his availability for roles with youth in the community.

Police prosecutor EdithTe Whata accepted the man was remorseful but noted, while they were not the most serious assaults, they needed to be marked.

Judge Taryn Bayley agreed.

“If this was a one-off but it’s not really – it’s multiple assaults over a period of years,” Judge Bayley said.

Judge Bayley accepted the man’s remorse was genuine and that his reputation in the community would have to be rebuilt.

“You must know, being an adult, that this behaviour is just bullying and violence towards a child and your partner and it’s completely unacceptable,” Judge Bayley said.

“You understood in your interview with the report writer that there will be consequences for you now. Damage to your reputation, the loss of job opportunities and there will be difficulties for you working with young people.

“That rebuilding will take time and trust.”

The man has already completed a number of rehabilitation programmes and was sentenced to 120 hours community work and 12 months supervision.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.