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Man pleads guilty to child assault

Saturday 14 September 2024 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Court, National

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Man pleads guilty to child assault

A man who has admitted to punching, slapping and stomping on a child’s ribs will be sentenced on October 22.

Tupouatimo Hagai Noa appeared via audio-visual link from an outer island before Justice Tangi Taoro, who presided over the matter at the Criminal Court in Avarua on Thursday.

Noa pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on a child.

The Court heard that he repeatedly punched a child on the chest, arm, face and ribs, slapped the child on the left side of the face, stomped on the lift ribs and kicked the child on the chest in an outer island on June 24 this year.

Police prosecutor senior sergeant Fairoa Tararo advised the Court that Member of Parliament and lawyer Tina Browne would no longer be representing the defendant.

Tararo asked that a probation report be ordered for the accused before sentencing.

Last month, Noa was ordered to serve another 12 months including six months of community service after being convicted of wilful damage and assault on a female. He had recently completed his 12 months of probation supervision for a previous charge.

Noa will be sentenced for the charge of assaulting a child on October 22.