Abuse case mother's plea to PM for help

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The mother of a savagely-abused 9-year-old girl wrote to Prime Minister John Key with a cry for help months before her daughter was discovered by police with injuries to almost every part of her body.

Details of the letter emerged yesterday as Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced a high-level inquiry into how early signs of the worst case of child abuse she had seen fell between the cracks and agencies failed to take early decisive action.

The girl's parents, who have name suppression to protect her identity, face more than 35 charges between them.

Another family member has been charged with sexually abusing the girl.

Ms Bennett said the girl's mother wrote to Mr Key seeking help around the middle of last year.

Mr Key referred the letter to Ms Bennett, who said she responded to it.

"It was pretty evident that the mother was showing concern and was actually hiding what was going on," she said.

But she could not comment further as the letter could come out in the court process.

The girl was taken into Child, Youth and Family custody on November 15 after police found her hiding in a cupboard at a West Auckland house.

Her scalp had been torn away from her head because she had been dragged by her hair, she had been beaten with weapons including a hammer, a broomstick and a machete, and one of her toenails had been pulled off and salt and boiling water poured on the wound.

The girl's father has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and her mother is yet to enter a plea.

The mother's defence lawyer, Lorraine Smith, said last night it was a tragic case.

Commenting on the letter to Mr Key's office, she said there was "a lot more to this case than meets the eye".

While there was "no excuse for any physical abuse of a child", she said the family had struggled to deal with their daughter.

"The mother has completely failed to cope. She'd been attempting to get help from various agencies without success."

The inquiry will be led by former Ombudsman Mel Smith, and will investigate matters including the extent to which the 12 agencies involved with the girl's family shared information and collaborated.

The agencies include Child, Youth and Family, Housing NZ, doctors, mental health workers, and caregivers.

"Every available resource was provided in this case, including some of our most expensive and trusted intervention models for at-risk families, yet a child suffered appalling abuse and I want to know why," Ms Bennett said.

- Additional reporting: Jared Savage