A Central Otago woman has been convicted of assaulting a child after a judge found she used unjustifiable force to discipline her unruly son. Judge Turner said it was clear her child had significant behavioural issues, and the woman had used force to stop her child being disruptive during the incident. The child had been kicking and verbally abusing her while she was driving, and the woman had been swiping away the child's punches, she said. However, two witnesses, whose names were also suppressed, said they saw her punching at the child with a closed fist. He commended the woman for the strategies she had to manage her child and encouraged her to find more, and sentenced her to a 12 months' suspended sentence.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 22, 2019 14:37 UTC