‘Monster’ convicted of child assault

Press, 21 February 1978, Page 6

‘Monster’ convicted of child assault

PA Auckland The injuries inflicted on a small bov were the “workings I almost of a monster,” Mr D. G. Maxwell, S.M., said in the Magistrate’s Court at Henderson yesterday. Before the Court was William Adrian Perry, aged 34, an unemployed Massey freezi ing worker, who pleaded guilty to injuring Mangus Steven Peri, aged six, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and injuring Lilliamalaine Nathan, aged 10, with intent.

Prosecuting, Sergeant R. D. Rees, told the Court that a Social Welfare worker went to the house occupied by the defendant and his de facto wife on February 3 to inquire about Lilliamalaine Nathan.

Seeing the girl’s condition, the welfare’ worker asked about the couple’s other children and were told they

: were away staying with relaItives. Lilliamalaine’s injuries included a broken arm and a i suspected fractured skull. She was taken to the Auckland Hospital. Police were later told that there was a child in the house who had not moved for four days. Police went to the house and were told there were no other children there, but they searched the premises and found the boy aged six lying in a' bedroom. He was suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, and the side of his brain was found to be swollen. He was also taken to hospital, where his body was estimated to be the size of that of a child 2J years old. Sergeant Rees said that on February 12 the hospital reported that the boy was still unconscious but recently had shown signs of improving. Questioned by the police,

Perry admitted assaulting both the children. He said he was teaching the girl how to spell and she was “always getting it wrong.”

In the case of the boy, Perry said he had hit him about the body and head with a piece of wood off a chair after he had stayed away from home all Sunday.

A day or two later when the boy had refused to sit I still at the table the defenidant had picked him up by the arm, taken him into the hallway, and kicked him. The boy had struck his head when he fell and knocked himself out.

Appearing for Perry, Mr D. J. Harvey told the Court that the full horror of the events had occurred to the defendant and he viewed them with some concern. The Magistrate convicted Perry and remanded him in custody to February 22 for a psychiatric report.