Woman accused of assault on child loses secrecy bid

A woman who allegedly assaulted a child has lost her fight for continued name suppression.

Renee Campbell, 27, of Masterton, made her second appearance in the Masterton District Court yesterday on a charge of assaulting an 8-year-old boy.

Lawyer Virginia Pearson argued for continued name suppression, with police prosecutor Sergeant Garry Wilson opposing it.

Mr Wilson said the public was already aware of the defendant's name.

Ms Pearson said her client was receiving medical care for stress and anxiety, and was attending family group conferences.

She indicated Campbell would be defending the charge and said continued suppression would be "appropriate" for Campbell's health.

She also said the identity of the child was a consideration if Campbell was named.

Judge Pat Grace rejected the application for name suppression, saying the grounds were not sufficient.

He noted her application argued publication of her name would identify her parents, make her subject to threats, and was not in the public interest. "In my view, you do not meet the high threshold of extreme hardship," the judge told Campbell.

In terms of undue hardship to the victim, Judge Grace said it "may be the case" that publishing Campbell's name would identify the complainant, who has a different name.

"An 8-year-old child is unlikely to be the subject of being targeted because of his name," the judge said.

Campbell was remanded at large to appear on October 18 for a status hearing.