A woman who rubbed chilli powder into her adopted daughter's eyes, forced her to take cold baths, and abused her with punches and kicks has been jailed for two years.
Ann Frances Munro, of Mt Maunganui, was denounced as "sadistic" in Auckland District Court yesterday when she was sentenced on four charges of cruelty to a child, one of assault on a child under the age of 14, two of assault on a child with intent to injure, and two of assault with a weapon.
The court was told the abuse charges arose when the daughter, now a teenager living with a new caregiver, complained to police in July 2003 about punishment at home.
She said Munro gave her cold baths, often holding her face under the cold tap or banging her head on the bottom of the bath.
She was also said to have rubbed chilli powder in the girl's eyes and mouth, and also punched and kicked her.
Munro's lawyer, Craig Horsley, said his client "did not mean to harm" the girl at any stage, and described the teen as "the daughter, the princess that (Munro) never had, that she wanted so badly".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10008488
Ann Frances Munro, of Mt Maunganui, was denounced as "sadistic" in Auckland District Court yesterday when she was sentenced on four charges of cruelty to a child, one of assault on a child under the age of 14, two of assault on a child with intent to injure, and two of assault with a weapon.
The court was told the abuse charges arose when the daughter, now a teenager living with a new caregiver, complained to police in July 2003 about punishment at home.
She said Munro gave her cold baths, often holding her face under the cold tap or banging her head on the bottom of the bath.
She was also said to have rubbed chilli powder in the girl's eyes and mouth, and also punched and kicked her.
Munro's lawyer, Craig Horsley, said his client "did not mean to harm" the girl at any stage, and described the teen as "the daughter, the princess that (Munro) never had, that she wanted so badly".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10008488
