A man forced children to eat chilli sauce if they didn’t eat their dinner and assaulted them when they misbehaved. 

Raymond Vandy would pull out the “cooking spoon” to punish the children, who were all aged 10 and under, while other times he would kick them with sometimes enough force that they fell over. 

The offending spanned a four-year period including when he wasn’t able to see them in 2020. 

Vandy, now aged in his late 30s, was sentenced on three charges of assaulting a child and another of assaulting a child using a spoon as a weapon in the Hamilton District Court recently. 

Vandy would kick the children to the body or bottom, and one of the victims told police the kicks were hard enough for him to fall over. 

As well as kicking, he also hit them on the bottom and hand using the “cooking spoon”. 

One of the children said that would “hurt” and “make him feel sad”, Judge Tini Clark said. 

Vandy would also make them eat chilli sauce if they didn’t all their food as a form of discipline. 

One of the children got bruises and said his ears would feel “hot and red”. 

His lawyer, Alvina Tu’Inukuafe, said Vandy had not had anything to do with the woman or the children since he was charged and had been compliant with his bail conditions the whole time. 

He was also proactive with his rehabilitation by completing courses run by the Destiny Church and Man-Up programme. 

Tu’Inukuafe also pushed for a 10 per cent discount for his guilty plea, but Judge Clark wasn’t too sure. 

“It took two years to get a resolution,” the judge said, “[children] were on tenterhooks for that period of time that they would have to give evidence”. 

However, she was ultimately persuaded because of the rehabilitative work he had been doing. 

Judge Clark said she didn’t have a victim impact statement from the children’s mother, but added she didn’t need one to know his behaviour had impacted them both emotionally and physically. 

“Three children were affected by your violent behaviour,” she told Vandy. 

“They were vulnerable. They couldn’t fight back ... it occurred in their home where they were entitled to feel safe against violence.” 

However, she accepted he made some “considerable efforts” with his rehabilitative work and belatedly pleaded guilty. 

“I also accept on reflection you are genuinely remorseful. 

“This now puts a line under everything with what’s occurred. You know what you need to complete in order for your sentence to be successfully served.” 

Judge Clark sentenced Vandy to three months’ community detention so he could continue working and 12 months’ supervision. 

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for eight years and been a journalist for 19.