Accused ‘lashed out’ at toddler

A young man looking after his partner’s toddler killed the 2-yearold boy and then claimed he had an accident in a shower, a court has heard.

Crown lawyer Steve Manning opened the trial of Tamehana Huata, 19, by telling the jury that Matiu Wereta ‘‘MJ’’ was found to be covered in bruises and cuts after an ambulance was called to his Flaxmere, Hastings, house in October 2015.

Huata is on trial in the High Court at Napier for manslaughter and injuring with intent to injure.

The Crown alleges Huata assaulted Matiu at their home on the morning of October 12. Matiu died two days later in hospital.

Manning told the jury they would hear that Matiu died of a massive head injury caused by some form of blunt force trauma.

He said the Crown case was that the assault or assaults on Matiu were caused by Huata, who was alone in the house with Matiu on the morning of October 12.

At the time of his death Matiu was found to have multiple bruises and abrasions to his face and other parts of his body, including three bite marks.

Manning said the nature of the injuries was such that they could not have been caused by accident. Medical experts will tell the jury the head injury was similar to one suffered in a car accident.

Manning said there were only two possible scenarios for Matiu’s injuries: that he was assaulted by Huata or he had fallen over on his own causing significant head injury.

He said the Crown’s case was that Huata ‘‘lost his temper and lashed out with force’’.

‘‘Good people can and do bad things in the heat of the moment when they lose control,’’ Manning said.

Huata had claimed variously that Matiu had run into the shower door, that he had fallen in the shower, and that he had ‘‘donged’’ his head on a wall.

He said that after finding Matiu unconscious he dried him, put on a nappy, and a onesie.

Manning said Huata played an active role in Matiu’s life. He would play with Matiu, change him and pick him up and drop him off at a daycare centre.

Manning said Matiu was an otherwise healthy and happy child. The night before he was injured his mother changed his nappy and did not notice any bruising or abrasions.

Huata’s lawyer, Russell Fairbrother QC, said the defence case was that Matiu had a ‘‘freakish accident’’.

He said experts disagreed as to how the alleged bite marks were caused, and that they were not bite marks at all.

He said Huata was a good man with no history of violence or bad behaviour, and he loved Matiu.

‘‘No-one knows what happened to the child and no-one knows what caused that blunt force trauma injury.’’ – Fairfax NZ