Man One Of 22 Living In House

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31615, 28 February 1968, Page 5

Man One Of 22 Living In House

(New Zealand Pres, Association! GISBORNE, February 26. A young man, who was one of a household of 22 people, including four married couples, was convicted and sentenced to a month’s imprisonment on a charge of assaulting a female, when he appeared in the Gisborne Magistrate’s Court, this afternoon.

Whiti Apanui, aged 22, a shearer, was charged that on February 25, at Matawai, he assaulted his wife. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant D. V. Jones said that Apanui had an argument with his wife and punched her on the face and head. He followed her to her room and held a knife to her throat. At one stage his wife was thrown to the floor and kicked. She was treated for cuts and bruises to her face and body by the district nurse There was also a mark on her throat. Mr R. A. Barber, for Apanni, said that one of the mitigating circumstances was that there were four families living under one roof. An ordinary residential home, it was housing 22 people. The defendant had been out of work since Christmas and had a job to go to this week. Mr W. M. Willis, S.M., said that there was too much wifebeating in the Gisborne district, and the fact that the

wife had forgiven the husband was not relevant as wives were a hardy breed.