P & P 2008 FCWA 120
Evidence was given that a father had on many occasions assaulted his 12 year old daughter who he described as being headstrong, leaving bruises with one incident that resulted in a conviction for assault.
The judge found that the father used harsh discipline on the child as the discipline had often occurred in circumstances where the father had made a conscious decision to inflict physical pain as a means of securing obedience.
