Children's commissioner condemns support of jailed mum

A pro-smacking lobby group has been lambasted by the children's commissioner for supporting its "poster girl" mother jailed last week over an assault on her son, who was hogtied, kicked and beaten.

Cindy Kiro told the Sunday Star-Times that Family First should be held to account for using mid-Canterbury woman Barbara Bishop's case as a prime example of parents being justified to use force to discipline children.

"Which good parent could ever think that was appropriate discipline? This is vindication that some people have no idea where to draw the line and that this sort of behaviour is untenable," Kiro said.

In the Timaru District Court on Friday, Bishop was sentenced to nine months in jail after a jury found her guilty of being party to assaulting her teenage son with her former husband, Kevin Bishop. He was jailed last year after admitting his role in the assault.

Judge Michael Crosbie said the case was not about child discipline but rather the "unjustified, excessive and brutal force" used by the couple.

The court was told that in January 2006, while en route to Dunedin from mid-Canterbury, the boy claimed his mother hit him several times and he retaliated, although Bishop maintained she only gave him a back-hand flick. A few minutes later, Kevin Bishop stopped the vehicle and the boy was thrown over a drawbar, hit and kicked. Barbara Bishop was asked to get tape from the truck, which she did, and her husband hogtied the boy binding his arms and legs together.

The assault was witnessed by a passing motorist and police were called.

The judge said Bishop appeared unremorseful and believed she had done nothing wrong. He noted Bishop had previous convictions for violence, including one for attempting to procure the murder of a former husband.

Kiro said Bishop had spoken publicly about her violent past and the violence of her previous partners, which had been witnessed by her children. "She doesn't seem to make the connection that violence breeds violence."

Bishop has claimed that it was her right as a good parent to discipline her children.

Family First national director Bob McCroskie denied holding Bishop up as the group's poster girl. "The children's commissioner has misrepresented us."

Bishop threatened legal action against Kiro after her story was also used by anti-smacking groups to promote the repeal of section 59 of the Crimes Act, which permitted parents to use reasonable force to discipline children. It was repealed last year.

Family First is seeking a referendum on child abuse and parental correction. Its petition needed 285,000 signatures by next month and had 295,000.

McCroskie said they wanted a safety margin of 30,000 to make up for those deemed to be invalid.

- © Fairfax NZ News