Father cleared to appeal assault conviction

A Christchurch musician has been granted leave to appeal his conviction for assaulting his four-year-old son.

James Louis Mason, a musician, was found guilty last year of punching his son in the face and pulling his ear in December 2007.

At trial, Mason denied punching his son but said he did grab his hair and flick his ear. He said he should have been charged with two separate offences not one for the punch and the ear pulling.

The Supreme Court today granted leave to appeal on the grounds that combining the indictment of the two allegations in a single count may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice.

- NZPA