An 80-year-old Taranaki man who assaulted a child with a plastic alkathene pipe has said he believed he was following the Bible.
The man pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting a child and assault with a blunt instrument when he appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Thursday, the Taranaki Daily News has reported.
His lawyer, Paul Keegan, says the incident was out of character.
"He is a Christian man and believes firmly in traditional methods of discipline," he says.
The man told police he had been "seeking to correct him in the manner described in the Bible", after the boy stole $1000 from him.
He will be sentenced on February 12 and has been granted interim name suppression until then.
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