January 29, 2013

Woman alleges abuse in 'perfect little family'

David Clarkson

A woman says her husband was abusive towards his stepdaughter but presented ?a pretty picture for the public?.

?In public, everyone thought we were a perfect little family,? said the woman who had married the man in South Africa and migrated to New Zealand.

She described family life that was very different, with the tensions between her husband and her own teenage daughter, who began self-harming by cutting her arms.

The man?s defence counsel, Denise Johnston, alleges that the woman?s evidence was part of her effort to separate from husband by making things appear as bad as possible.

The stepfather is on trial in the Christchurch District Court on three charges of child cruelty and two charges of assaulting the teenager with intent to injure.

The teenager, now aged 15, gave evidence by video-link from South Africa on the jury trial?s first day on Monday.

Yesterday, her mother described the man?s behaviour over a long period while the family lived in Invercargill and Christchurch.

She said her husband would ignore his stepdaughter for weeks on end, even after she had apologised for disrespectful behaviour. ?The atmosphere was like walking on egg shells. It takes him days or weeks to get over something.?

She said the girl was constantly being picked on and criticised for the things she did. He would sometimes scream at her. He would criticise the way she ate, and the way she was sitting.

?I told him he gets angry too quickly, and his anger is hurting us,? she said. She suggested he needed to seek help for it, but he turned down the help that was offered.

She said the man said he did not love the stepdaughter, and there was very clear favouritism towards their younger daughter. On a freezing, snowy day in Christchurch, he had refused to let a heater be put on in the stepdaughter?s room ? he said she could dress more warmly ? but let one be put in the daughter?s room.

?Sometimes he would say, ?I love you,? but there was never very much affection or sincerity to it. In public, everyone thought we were a perfect little family.?

Mrs Johnston cross-examined the woman about the steps that the man had taken, including counselling, taking medication, and having discussions at length about the teenager?s challenging behaviour.

The woman denied the lawyer?s allegation that she had wanted to separate and get custody of their child, and ?wanted to make things has bad as they could be so you could do whatever you wanted?.

Mrs Johnston put to her that the husband had been worried that the stepdaughter?s conduct was harming her emotionally.

The trial, before Judge Paul Kellar, is continuing.