Woman jailed for beating daughter

Press, 19 April 1989, Page 12

Woman jailed for beating daughter

PA Auckland A mother of three who gave her daughter, aged 13, a “merciless beating” with a tennis racket and a plastic rake has been imprisoned for one year. Judge Elliott told Tungane Makiroa Raeina, aged 30, of Mount Roskill, that because of the severity of the assault and for the safety of her children he had no option but to send her to prison, when she appeared in the District Court at Auckland yesterday. The daughter, who as a result did not want to see her mother again, had suffered a “merciless beating from head to foot”. Although there had

been no long term physical harm, the emotional impact was incalculable, the Judge said. Raeina, a beneficiary who is due to give birth in November, pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting her daughter in February.

The Court was told that the girl had been beaten on numerous occasions since she returned to live with her mother after her grandmother died just before Christmas last year. Raeina readily admitted to the police that she beat her daughter, saying that the hidings were given for not telling the truth or not doing jobs properly. The defendant, who beat her daughter about twice a week, said: “I only did these things to teach

herself to learn to do things properly.

“I did not mean to hit her as hard as I did the last time. I was sorry afterwards.” Mr Don Mathias, counsel for Raeina, said: “She comes from a background where severe domestic discipline is not unknown, and she has very particular requirements of her children as far as their behaviour is concerned.”

Judge Elliott said Raeina's means of discipline were "over vigorous" and went well beyond what was considered the norm.

“You must go to prison,” he said, "despite the fact that you are a first offender.”