Mother badly hurt in accident

More anguish after son’s murder

FURTHER misfortune has struck a Southland woman whose son was murdered two years ago.

The Otago Daily Times has learnt the sole casualty of an unspecified vehicle accident in Otautau on Sunday was Amy King, mother to 9yearold murder victim Hunter McIntosh.

Dunedin Hospital confirmed yesterday afternoon Mrs King remained in intensive care following the incident, which occurred just after 10am on Sunday.

Police were not called to the incident, which involved a single vehicle and injured Mrs King only, although St John and a nearby doctor attended.

A St John spokeswoman said two ambulances attended after receiving an alert at 10.03am on Sunday, and the emergency rescue helicopter was summoned from Dunedin.

A single patient was airlifted to Dunedin in a serious condition, although the extent of her injuries was not disclosed.

Otautau residents said they were shocked by the latest misfortune to befall Mrs King and her family, after her son was murdered in October 2019 by then 15yearold babysitter, and family friend, Daniel Cameron.

Otautau Community Board chairman Andre Bekhuis said he had only learnt of the most recent incident yesterday.

‘‘It’s a huge shock to everyone locally. We can only wish her all the best as a community for a speedy recovery.’’

Although Mr Bekhuis did not know Mrs King — a teacher at Otautau School — personally, he said she was held in ‘‘high esteem’’ locally.

‘‘She’s a very lovely person, and this is a terrible thing to happen.’’

He said Otautau was a tightknit community, and he was confident people would ‘‘pull round’’ and do what they could to support the family.

Family members were believed to be supporting her in Dunedin.

On October 30, 2019, Mrs King and her partner returned from playing pool with the parents of the boy who, it would later transpire, had earlier that night murdered their son Hunter.

Daniel Cameron had babysat for Hunter on at least 10 previous occasions, but on the night in question something led him to stab the 9yearold to death.

During the ensuing court case, Mrs King said she had returned home to find her son dead on his bedroom floor, a knife protruding from his stomach.

After Mr Cameron was sentenced to at least 11 years for her son’s murder, Mrs King said she was ‘‘barely functioning’’.

‘‘Thinking every minute of every day since about the horrific way that he died, how scared he would've been of Daniel, how painful and scary his last moments were.’’

She said she struggled to comprehend the killer was texting her during the period he murdered her son.

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said Mrs King had since had a son, now aged 1, and remained living with her partner in Otautau.

‘‘She’s a strong woman, and everyone’s behind their little family at this difficult time.’’

❛ She’s a very lovely person, and this is a terrible thing to happen