one woman who should never be allowed to have any more kids .....
LATEST: Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has slammed suggestions she failed a mother who was today jailed for seven and a half years for the horrific abuse of her son and daughter.
There was a public outcry when the case came to light following the mother's arrest late last year.
Her daughter, aged nine at the time, was found hiding in a cupboard in a West Auckland house.
She was starving, dehydrated, bruised and was suffering from broken bones and anaemia from internal bleeding.
In a harrowing victim impact statement read to the court today, the girl's brother, who was seven at the time of the abuse, said he could think of nothing good about his mum.
"I can't think of any good things. I can think of lots of bad things. She would tell me that someone was going to take me away."
The boy said he and his sister once sat outside at night talking about how they could get hit less by their parents.
He said his sister told him they got hit because they didn't listen, so they tried to listen more.
But they still got hit.
The boy described his pain at being abused.
"I don't know why I was hit so much but I think it was because I wasn't good enough."
He said he thinks his parents should stay in jail for a long time.
"I was hurt for a long time so I think they should stay where they are for a long time too."
The boy said he could think of just one good thing about his father - he once let him play his video game.
The father is facing two charges in the case and will be sentenced next February.
The mother was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, with a non-parole period of five years, on 25 charges of abusing the siblings.
In an interview with Radio Live the mother said she hit her daughter on the bottom with a broomstick multiple times because she "couldn't handle it anymore".
"They said that I tortured her, I didn't torture her. Yes I did assault her, I slapped her around, I punched her."
The girl had been in Child Youth and Family (CYF) care most of her life after being taken away from her parents as a baby.
She returned to live with them after being sexually abused while in the care of an extended family member.
Following the mother's arrest it came out that 25 agencies had been involved with the girl and her family and none of them had been aware of the abuse she was suffering at the hands of her parents.
Bennett ordered a report on the case. It could not be released until today for fear of interfering with the ongoing court case.
In an emotional press conference this afternoon, Bennett said it was the worst case of abuse - where a child had lived - that she had seen in her time as minister.
However, she rejected suggestions by the mother's lawyer that she and Prime Minister John Key had failed the family.
The mother wrote to Key asking for help and he passed that onto Bennett who replied and offered six counselling sessions for the girl.
Defence lawyer Lorraine Smith said there was no question the abuse was "ongoing" and "horrific".
But, Smith said the mother's actions were those of a woman let down by the system and multiple agencies.
"My submission is that both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Social Development failed both [the child] and her mother.
"She should not be punished excessively by the court because the system let her down."
Bennett said the mother failed the child and was now passing the buck.
"That child was so deeply failed by those very parents that were supposed to protect her, so it's fine to sit back now and try and blame someone else or the Government while in the meantime you are dehydrating, starving and beating your child. I'm afraid no I don't stand and take responsibility for that, she should stand up and take it herself."
She said she took the best advice she could at the time before replying to the letter.
"In hindsight I wish I was writing back and saying the police are knocking on your door we're removing your children from you right now."
The report found the mother has manipulated the agencies she was working with into thinking she cared for her children and had their best interests at heart.
It made a number of recommendations including better information sharing, new CYF liaison workers for schools, mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect, urgent research on 'family-first' care and a new child protection court.
Bennett said progress had been made on many of the 13 recommendations and others were included in the Green Paper currently out for public consultation.
The mother is accused of horrific acts of abuse committed during 2010, often using weapons such as broomsticks or a vacuum cleaner hose
The abuse included hitting the daughter in the face so hard she broke her hands, then failing to get medical treatment for the girl.
She also admitted hitting the little girl's feet with a hammer then ripping off the sore toenail that resulted and pouring salt and boiling water into the wound.
The boy described his pain at being abused.
"I don't know why I was hit so much but I think it was because I wasn't good enough."
He said he thinks his parents should stay in jail for a long time.
"I was hurt for a long time so I think they should stay where they are for a long time too."
Parts of the girl's statement were also read to the court.
"I still have nightmares about what happened to me. In my dreams my mother and father are out of jail and trying to find me to hurt me some more."
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
The inquiry into child abuse was conducted by former ombudsman Mel Smith and the report contained 13 recommendations.
They included:
* Better information sharing;
* New CYF liaison workers for schools;
* Mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect;
* Urgent research on kinship care;
* Multi-agency meetings, including CYF;
* Proceeding with amendments to the Crimes Act and Privacy Act;
* A new child protection court.
Bennett said the inquiry went wider than one case, "so it can't be assumed recommendations relate directly to the case of this young girl".
In its response to the report the Social Development Ministry said Mr Smith chose not to interview staff members with expertise in child protection matters and his final report was provided without the ministry seeing it or having the opportunity to comment.
But it accepted all his recommendations in their entirety.
It said in its briefing to Bennett that its proposals in many case went considerably beyond Smith's recommendations.
MOTHER'S LETTER TO JOHN KEY
My name is Ms X and I am writing this letter to you in regards to my daughter who is currently 8 years of Age and was Sexually Violated and Indecently Assaulted from her caregiver when she was approximately 4 and a half years old up to when she was returned to my care which was 3 years later.
This is very unfortunate that this ordeal has happened to my child but my main concern is that my daughter has some very disturbing issues due to her injury and there is no support from CYFS who were responsible for my child at the time of this incident.
I am very disturbed that my child had suffered this sort of treatment considering that CYFS said to me that they would protect my daughter better than myself, Yet I have 5 Children in total and none of them have ever ended up like this?
Because of the situation for you as New Zealand's Prime Minister I would like to know your views on my situation.
I hope I am not offending you in anyway, but I am very sad to see my daughter suffer from the trauma she has been through, which I hope you understand.
My daughter has been to the Evidential Video Unit and made a Video which I have not seen but have heard from the Detective and other sources which say that the Video that my Daughter has made is very detailed to the point that she knows things that no child should know at that age?
I have contacted CYFS in regards to Counselling for my child and they did pay for 12 Sessions for her and when I approached CYFS again for my daughter to return to Counselling CYFS had given me a letter to say that they were not prepared to pay for counselling as it is too expensive and there is not enough in the Budget.
Work and Income pay for her counselling now and I am disappointed that CYFS would treat my daughter this way.
I have contacted ACC in regards to making a claim for my daughter for these counselling fees for her to continue her counselling for a very long time as she has very sensitive issues around what has happened to her?
I currently have all 5 of my children in my custody at the moment and I am doing a great job looking after all my children too.
In your opinion Mr Keys do you think that my child is entitled to compensation for what happened to her for the past 3 years, because to be honest with you my daughter is going to be needing Constant Care and Protection as well as love and compassion from her loving siblings and myself of course. I have spoken and also looked up on the website in regards to compensation for my child for her the abuse she has suffered but ACC have made things clear that children are not Entitled to Lump Sum Compensation as She is too young. But please contact me as soon as you are available please. This Issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
My Family and I would like CYFS to sign my children off permanently and please let me and my family be together and try to give my daughter the support she needs.
I am very sorry Mr Keys But I have been seeking help everywhere for my child to get better and try to let go of the poison that is inside of her at the moment. I am sure you will agree with me about this problem because my child cannot even concentrate on School because all she thinks about is the abuse she has suffered and what effects this has on her when all she thinks about is doing silly things like what her caregiver done to her. So far the Police are doing an excellent job as the perpetrator has been in Court and we are awaiting the Jury date for the hearing.
Ms X
PS: If you have any Queries regarding anything you don't understand then please contact me.
PAULA BENNETT'S REPLY:
Thank you for your email to the Prime Minister concerning the abuse suffered by your daughter whilst in the care of Child, Youth and Family. Your email, which I received on 11 May 2010, was referred to me for reply as the Minister of Social Development and Employment.
I was very concerned to read about the experiences your daughter has suffered. It must have been a shock to learn what had happened when you had a right to expect that Y had been in a safe environment. I commend you for the obvious love and compassion you have for her and your other children.
You asked about the lack of continuing support from Child, Youth and Family and said that you have contacted the service about further counselling for Y.
I was pleased to hear from Child, Youth and Family that since you wrote, the Family Court has reviewed the situation and decisions have been made that will see you provided with a good deal more help, both practical and financial.
This assistance includes:
* that your social worker will watch over progress with updates from school, your doctor and the counsellor.
* six additional counselling sessions are to be provided for you
* your social worker will talk to you about which school holiday programmes are best for your children and arrange financial help for these.
* she will discuss sports or activities that might suit the children and look at financial help for those activities.
There will be an informal review in three months time to check progress and see how these arrangements are working out and a full review will then take place in six months time.
I sincerely hope that these arrangements will assist you and your daughter to begin to move forward.
Letters from the mother and Paula Bennett appear as they were written.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6173214/Boys-wish-granted-mother-sent-to-jail
