By Belinda Feek, Open Justice multimedia journalist of 
Sharryn Ngariki threw one child off a bed and into a wall with such force that they felt their back crack. Photo: 123RF
WARNING: This story contains family violence details that may be upsetting to some readers
A woman threw a child off a bed and into a wall with such force that the child felt their back crack.
On another occasion, Sharryn Ngariki tied a shirt around the child's head so the child couldn't breathe.
The child wasn't Ngariki's only victim. The Hamilton woman also assaulted two other young children over the course of 14 months, punching, slapping and kicking them and whacking them with a wooden spoon.
The 31-year-old had previously admitted 12 charges, many representative, in the Hamilton District Court, including assault with a weapon, strangulation, assault with intent to injure, and assaulting a child.
Ngariki, who failed in a bid for permanent name suppression, also admitted another charge of unlawful possession of ammunition from a separate incident.
She reappeared in court today for sentencing by Judge Stephen Clark.
'Slapped so hard it would bruise'
The assaults happened between October 2022 and December 2023.
The first victim was smacked "very hard" on the hands, legs, feet and shoulders several times and "punished" all over the body and mouth, court documents state.
Ngariki also stood on the child's stomach and smacked them on the mouth with a wooden spoon on multiple occasions, causing the mouth to bleed.
Other times, she used the wooden spoon to smack the child's bottom and feet.
Ngariki also threw the child off a bed and into a wall with enough force that the child felt their back crack.
Another time, she tied a shirt around the child's head, blocking their nose and mouth.
The second victim was smacked on several occasions so hard that it would sting and leave bruising.
The child was also punched numerous times, mostly in the face. Ngariki also stood on the victim's body.
One time, she kicked the victim into a wall with enough force to create a hole.
The third victim was also smacked on "numerous occasions".
The charge of unlawful possession of ammunition is from 13 September, last year.
Ngariki was a passenger in a car that was reported acting suspiciously, driving up driveways around the Hamilton suburb of Enderly.
Police signalled the car to stop, and the occupants were taken to Hamilton police station for processing.
During a search of Ngariki, police found a single round of ammunition, 2 grams of meth and a glass pipe.
'She's very future-focused'
Counsel Hannah Cuthill said her client had attended a restorative justice conference with a representative of the victims, at which she apologised for what she'd done.
Ngariki had also secured accommodation in Hamilton for when she is released on parole.
"She has become very future-focused, on rehabilitation efforts and will be working in the tikanga unit once sentenced.
"She also wants to do alcohol and drug counselling."
A pre-sentence report found she was not likely to harm any other children and that her risk of reoffending would be determined by her "ability to maintain sobriety".
That was a risk factor she was motivated to focus on, she said.
'Mentally and emotionally unstable'
Judge Stephen Clark noted that Ngariki didn't have a criminal history until "relatively recently".
It was her lapse into drug abuse that led to the offending.
She had grown up "around gang life", left school early and used heavy drugs from a young age.
Leading up to the offending, she was "feeling mentally and emotionally unstable".
"Unfortunately, your response was to get involved with drugs."
After taking a starting point of four years' jail, he applied discounts for her guilty pleas and background factors, before arriving at an end point of 30 months in prison.
Where to get help:
- Women's Refuge: 0800 733 843.
- It's Not OK 0800 456 450.
- Shine: 0508 744 633.
- Victim Support: 0800 842 846.
- HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
- The National Network of Family Violence Services NZ has information on specialist family violence agencies.
* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.
