A 4-year-old boy had bruises over his buttocks and lower back after his mother's partner struck him because he stopped doing "star jumps" without permission, the Dunedin District Court was told yesterday.
Jared Dennis Garrett (38), unemployed, began making the child do "star jumps" in November last year, punishing him physically if he stopped before being told he could do so.
On November 26, a staff member at the boy's daycare centre noticed bruising on the child's bottom.
Child Youth and Family became involved and a paediatrician examined the boy and found his buttocks and lower back were covered in bruises.
Garrett was questioned about the matter but refused to make any statement.
He was charged with wilfully ill-treating the boy and committed for trial, but later pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a child.
Crown counsel Louise Denton told the Dunedin District Court yesterday Garrett tried to transfer some of the blame to the child, claiming he bruised easily.
That had been ruled out by the paediatrician.
Ms Denton said the offending had affected the boy, who was now distrustful of adults and expected to be harmed whenever he heard raised voices.
His life had been disrupted as he been taken away from the mother and was now living with his biological father. Another child was also removed from the mother.
On the charge of assaulting a child, Judge Paul Kellar sentenced Garrett to nine months' supervision with special conditions.
On an unrelated charge of driving in Hillside Rd two weeks ago with a breath-alcohol level of 660mcg, Garrett was sentenced to 250 hours' community work, with a driving ban of one year and one day.
Garrett has two prior drink-driving convictions, in 1991 and 1992.
