A Tokoroa couple who savagely attacked two children over a number of years have each been jailed for 18 months.

Stanley Willard Hamon, 46, and Elizabeth Tanya Matangi, 33, were found guilty by a Rotorua District Court jury in February of wilful ill treatment, assaults with a weapon and assaults on a boy and girl at various places around the North Island, Matangi from 2001 to 2011 and Hamon from 2005 to 2011.

Sentencing them today Judge Chris McGuire compared them with Bonnie and Clyde without weapons. He said they had been on the run from authorities after Matangi had abducted the two youngsters who had been in CYF care.

She is presently serving two years four months behind bars for the abduction and today's sentence was added to that, taking her total jail time to 3 years 10 months.

One of the charges against Hamon stemmed from him holding a gun to the boy's head, threatening to shoot him then bury him in a forest.

The child had been hit over the head by Matangi with a hot pot and a bowl.

The jury heard Hamon had pushed both children's heads down a toilet and whipped the boy with a belt. Judge McGuire said despite the guilty verdicts against him Hamon continued to maintain his innocence.

Crown prosecutor, Chris Macklin, said since the trial the boy had attempted to take his life. During the trial Judge McGuire ruled the girl should not give evidence because of her "parlous psychological state".