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An Auckland man will be deported to Tonga after subjecting his family to years of abuse. (File photo)
A Tongan citizen and permanent resident of New Zealand will be deported after repeatedly assaulting his wife and stepchildren and lying to authorities about it.
The man was granted residency in 2011 due to his 2009 marriage to a roommate, but the abuse began before he set foot in the country.
According to a recently published decision of the Immigration and Protection Court, the man beat his 6-year-old stepson several times, despite his wife “begging him to stop.”
He also lifted his young stepdaughter into the air and then dropped her.
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The abuse continued after the man arrived in New Zealand.
The court heard that at one stage, the man’s 10-year-old stepson tried to stop the man from beating his wife. The man threw a jar of mayonnaise at the boy.
RNZ
Strangulation is such a strong precursor to someone eventually being killed in a domestic violence incident that it recently became a separate crime. (First published September 2019)
Police were called after he strangled his wife and threatened to kill her.
In 2012, the Auckland man was convicted of two counts of male assault on a woman and one count of death threat. He was sentenced to three months of community detention, community work and supervision.
But when the man applied for permanent residence in 2015, he declared that he had a clean criminal record.
Immigration New Zealand granted his request and the abuse started anew.
Over the next two years, the man hit a stepson “on numerous occasions” with a broom, including on the spine, according to the ruling.
He repeatedly hit another stepson on the head, threatened him and pushed his wife against a fence.
In 2018, he was convicted of three counts of assault on a child and one count of common battery and sentenced to eight months of home detention.
Keri Welham / Stuff
The man is originally from Tonga, but has been in New Zealand since mid-2011.
The judge in his case noted that the man “has no real feeling towards [his] stepchildren ”.
In November 2019, he was issued a deportation liability notice due to his convictions and his lying about his criminal record.
The man, now 59, appealed to the court, saying he did not declare his convictions because he was “in a rush to complete the application.”
He hit his stepchildren in part because they were “disrespectful,” he said.
The man’s wife told the court that she would be in financial trouble if her husband were deported, and her 21-year-old daughter said it was causing her anxiety.
However, clinical psychologist Barry Kirker gave evidence that the man “could not reflect on any attitude of entitlement and beliefs that support violence.”
Most of her stepchildren did not want her to stay in New Zealand and she had no plans to prevent violence in the future other than to “leave”.
Re-start
The Family Violence Amendment Act went into effect on December 3. She recognized strangulation, forced marriage and assault on a person in a family relationship as crimes. (First published December 2018)
Kirker said he could not conclude that it was in the family’s best interest if the man stayed or that he was not at risk of further violent crime.
The presiding judge, Judge Peter Spiller, said he had great sympathy for the man’s wife, daughter and 10-year-old son. However, the trio had access to much support in New Zealand in the man’s absence.
The court rejected the man’s appeal.
Where to get help for domestic violence cases
- Women’s shelter 0800733843 (female only)
- Shine Free call 0508 744 633 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (for men and women)
- 1737, do you need to talk? Call toll free or text 1737 to speak with a trained counselor.
- Kidsline 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
- What happens 0800 942 8787 (from 5 to 18 years old). Telephone advice available from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 23:00 and on weekends from 15:00 to 23:00. Online chat is available from 3 pm to 10 pm every day.
- Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234, email [email protected], or find online chat and other support options here.
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111.
Need help? If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, please click on the Shielded icon at the bottom of this website to communicate with Women’s Refuge safely and anonymously without your browser history being tracked. If you are in our app, visit the mobile website here to access Shielded.
