A Dunedin businessman has avoided a conviction for assaulting his daughter \u2014 and his identity can never be revealed.<\/p>\n
The man, aged in his 60s, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting a charge of assault in a family relationship.<\/p>\n
He applied for a discharge without conviction and final name suppression and argued if they were not granted, there would be severe consequences for his business as well as his family.<\/p>\n
The court heard that on November 12, the defendant\u2019s daughter was visiting his home.<\/p>\n
They had a conversation about how the woman wanted to invest her money, which had been an ongoing discussion between the pair.<\/p>\n
It reached a point where the daughter did not want to continue the conversation and went to her bedroom.<\/p>\n
Minutes later, the defendant followed.<\/p>\n
He became increasingly angry at the woman, got close to her and pointed his finger.<\/p>\n
The victim attempted to move his hands away from her face, he in turn pushed at her hands but connected with her face.<\/p>\n
She kicked out at her father before he grabbed her arm and forced it straight behind her back.<\/p>\n
She was “certain it would break”, the police summary said.<\/p>\n
He then pushed her on to the bed and restrained her in an “arm-bar-style hold”.<\/p>\n
Counsel Sarah McClean said her client accepted the assault should not have happened but stressed it had occurred in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n
He had no previous convictions and was otherwise of good character, she said.<\/p>\n
A conviction and his name being published could lead to business contracts the defendant held being terminated.<\/p>\n
While the victim was “distressed” by the offending and worried the defendant would use his business as a shield, she was not opposed to him avoiding a conviction or getting name suppression.<\/p>\n
Judge Emma Smith granted both applications.<\/p>\n
The termination of the contracts would be “devastating” to the defendant, employees and others involved in the business and the offending was low level, she said.<\/p>\n