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Assaults by a father and his wife on their girls aged 12 and 15 were punishment for breaking strict household rules, a court has heard. The girls' parents, a man and a woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the ACT Magistrates Court to three assault charges. In one incident, the 15-year-old was caught talking with a boy from the bus, and the woman pinched the girl's ear causing it to bleed. When told later that the girl was "flirting", the man had punched his daughter in the abdomen and face, causing her nose to bleed. The family had a household rule that the girls not have relationships with boys until they were 18. In another incident, the 12-year-old was caught using a tablet, and its search history showed "pornography". The woman slapped the girl and squeezed her throat, before dragging her to the bathroom and cutting her hair, documents filed to the court say. The woman's lawyer Antje Chalmers, from Paul Edmonds & Associates, said the rules and the woman's reactions needed to be understood in a cultural context, where women were often married young and to much older men. She said the woman was extremely sorry, and wanted to be the best parent possible to the girls and their other children. Dai Lee, from Pappas J Attorneys, said there was a silver lining to the laying of charges against the man, who with counselling had seen his relationship with the girls improve. He was happy to consider changes to the girls' freedoms, Mr Lee said. The family will undergo formal mediation. Prosecutor Sarah McMurray said it was in the public interest to deal with family violence in a public forum. "It's not a private affair," she said. "These were vulnerable girls, who needed affection and a nurturing environment", but they were met with "harsh discipline and physical assault." She said the woman's squeezing of the girl's throat was the most serious of the offences. "That girl's life was in the hands of the defendant," she said. Both the man and woman were sentenced to 18-month good behaviour orders. Special Magistrate Ken Cush also placed the pair under the supervision of corrective services, and ordered them to complete anger management and parenting programs as directed. The parents also agreed to forfeit $1000 each if they breached the good behaviour order conditions. Mr Cush said imposing and enforcing house rules needed to be dealt with "intelligently and lovingly". He questioned what the couple had meant by "pornography", in light of the strict house rules. He said if the couple did not address the issues that gave rise to these offences "they will fail as parents and as responsible members of this community, in helping these girls develop into responsible adults." Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Magistrate Peter Morrison presided over the sentencing . It was in fact Special Magistrate Ken Cush.

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