Key Takeaways
- A man, Hawaiki Dean Little, has been sentenced for assaulting his daughter and ill-treatment of an animal.
- The judge described Little’s actions as "callous and cruel treatment" of the animal.
- Little repeatedly hit his dog with a large square shovel and later assaulted his daughter as she tried to stop him from attacking her mother.
- The dog was taken away and examined by a vet, showing signs of bruising and avoiding placing full weight on her right hind limb.
- Little has previous convictions for family violence and assault, and has been assessed as having a high risk of reoffending.
Introduction to the Case
The Tauranga District Court has sentenced a man, Hawaiki Dean Little, for assaulting his daughter and ill-treatment of an animal. The court heard that Little had repeatedly hit his dog, Marama, with a large square shovel, and later assaulted his daughter as she tried to stop him from attacking her mother. The judge, Bill Lawson, described Little’s actions as "callous and cruel treatment" of the animal, and noted that the assault on his daughter had occurred in a family home where the victims were "entitled to feel safe".
The Attack on the Dog
The court heard that a witness had seen Little attacking Marama, a black-and-white dog, in September last year. The witness had heard the dog yelping in distress and had yelled at Little to stop. However, Little had continued to hit the dog, throwing the shovel at her and hitting her head. When confronted by the witness, Little had told her to "mind her own business" and had said that he was hitting Marama because she had toileted on his deck. The dog was later taken away and examined by a vet, showing signs of bruising and avoiding placing full weight on her right hind limb.
The Assault on the Daughter
In June of this year, Little’s violence extended to his daughter and ex-partner. He became verbally abusive, and after the pair hid in a bedroom, he broke the door down with a pool cue. As his daughter tried to stop him from assaulting her mother, Little put his hands around her neck and punched her to the right side of the ribs, and to the side of her face. He then kicked her in the ribs. The judge noted that this had occurred while the daughter was trying to protect her mother from an attack by Little.
The Judge’s Verdict
Judge Lawson noted that Little had previous convictions for family violence and assault, and had been assessed as having a high risk of reoffending. The judge said that Little’s comments to the pre-sentence report-writer had appeared to be trying to justify what he had done, but that he had