CHILD ILL-TREATED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 7, 17 September 1943, Page 5

CHILD ILL-TREATED

ACTION OF A BRUTE

OPOTIKI PROSIT MOTION

At the monthly sitting of the Opotiki Police Court, before Mr E. L. Walton,, S.M., Charles Thomas Joyce, aged 20 years, of Paerata Ridge, was charged with unlawfully ill-treating a girl named Aileen Lowe, in a manner likely to cause un neeessa ry s u lie ring. Defendant pleaded not guilty. Sergeant J. ISbister, who prosecuted on behalf o'f the Police, said that defendant brought the little girl who was aged 19 months from his sister's- home in Kaikohe. She was accused's sister's child. There, were marks on the child's body and burns on her hands. The district nurse took charge of the child.;

Nurse M. E. Taylor, district nurse,, stated in evidence that as the result of complaints, she went to ac. euscd's house where she found the child and took her to ])r James for treatment. There was a burn on the right palm of her hand ami also burns on the lingers of the lc.lt hand. There were cuts and bruises on the face and chest. Witness spoke to. Joyce after his return and asked him how the burns occurred. Accused told her thai, he told the child to- shut the oven door, which she did. and got burns.

Dr James said that on the 3rd August the child was brought, to his surgery. She had a deep burn on the palm of one. hand and burns on two. lingers of the other hand. Over her right eye, and extending to below the eye there was a big bruise. On the top of one. foot was a cut and on the; chest a long weal. The bruise could have been caused, by the child being hit or by falling up against something. Sergeant J. lsbister said that on August lie visited, accused at his house and questioned him. He made a statement in which he said that the child came from Kaikohe and was aged 19 months. The child, was his sister's., lie had asked his sister for the child and she had given the child to him. Accused said that lie hit the child to break lier of a childish habit. She got the black eye when she. fell out of bed. The burns came when the child shut the oven door. "If that's your idea of treatment of a child you have no right, to have custody of lier," said the Magistrate, in sentencing accused to two months' imprisonment- "The only way I can describe your behaviour is that, of a brute."