Defence challenge to boy’s abuse testimony
The defence has challenged a boy’s evidence about being burned with a hot poker and spoon, and made to eat chillis, repeatedly alleging that he was making it up.
The boy, now aged 17 as he gives evidence at a Christchurch District Court jury trial, told the court: “It’s true. I’m not making it up.”
Kirsten Gray, defence counsel for the 60-year-old woman on trial, pointed out to the boy that he had said an elderly man and a younger boy were present when he said the hot spoon was put into his mouth by the woman.
It had been very painful and he had been crying out in pain, he said, in answer to questions.
But Miss Gray said the other boy – who is another complainant in the trial – had given an evidential interview which would be played to the trial and did not mention the incident. The other boy had also not mentioned being forced to eat chillis, which the witness claimed had happened to that other boy as well.
The trial has been told the elderly man would not be giving evidence at the trial because he had been diagnosed with dementia.
The boy gave evidence on day one of the trial that he had been given regular hidings by the woman who has denied 29 charges of assault, assault using various household items as weapons, and intentionally poisoning one of the boys by making him eat chilli peppers.
The boy told the court, “There was never a good day,” but Miss Gray challenged that statement with a series of questions.
The boy accepted that he had been taken overseas on holidays, but said he had only had one birthday party when he first came to New Zealand. He had been given toys including remote controlled cars and a helicopter. He acknowledged that the woman had paid $80 for him to have one flying lesson.
He had said he had claimed to have told a teacher about being beaten and getting a black eye, but Miss Gray said the teacher would give evidence that he was never told about the violence and never saw him with a black eye.
She alleged the boy was making up a story about going to see relatives after being beaten with a stick “for hours” by the woman, on the legs, arms and face. The boy had said that one of the relatives had told the woman off but nothing else had been done about it.
The trial has a booklet of photographs which the boy says shows marks made with a hot poker, and a punch.
The boy admitted he had taken money and jewellery from the woman’s room and had taken it to school where he gave it to other pupils, or spent it at the local dairy. The woman was angry when she found out about that.
At one stage, Miss Gray told the boy: “I suggest to you it is difficult to keep your story straight when you are making it up.”
“I’m not making it up,” the boy replied.
Miss Gray had the boy look through a booklet of photographs showing holidays and events, and told him: “You have been pretty clear that there was never a good day, but I suggest that we can see many a good day in the photographs before you.”
“Yes, we can,” he said, but he added later that many of the photographs were of the same event.
The two-week trial before Judge Alistair Garland is continuing.
Category: Focus
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