Family miss out on report

Abusive messages alert family to coroner’s findings into baby Sapphire’s death

ANorthland family are outraged they never received a copy of a coroner’s report into the death of 2-monthold baby girl Sapphire Williams and had to learn of the tragic details through the media.

Family spokeswoman Teresa Tua said a copy of Coroner Debra Bell’s report was never received by the family and, since its release to the media last week, they had been subjected to public abuse on social media and verbal abuse from people in the street.

The older siblings of Sapphire had also been bullied at school and were worried they would be taken away by police, Tua said.

Chris King, acting group manager courts and tribunals, said copies of the findings were sent to both parents, but regretfully the report had not

been sent to a key family member who had requested a copy prior to public release.

King acknowledged the family had experienced distress after the media coverage and they would be offering an apology. “We will look for opportunities to avoid this happening again,” King said.

He said Bell had closed Sapphire’s case and a coroner could not reopen it. “Someone who wishes for the case to be reopened should apply to the Solicitor-General.”

Sapphire died with an alcohol level in her tiny body which was more than six times the legal blood alcohol limit for an adult driver.

Bell’s report into the baby’s death on January 2, 2017, in Ahipara, was released last Friday with the coroner stressing the importance that breastfeeding mothers should not consume alcohol at any stage.

A toxicology report presented to

The family feels this move by Coroner Bell had disallowed them the right to dispute certain facts. Teresa Tua, family spokeswoman

the coroner showed the amount of alcohol found in blood from Sapphire’s heart was 308 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for a driver is 50mg per 100ml of blood.

Sapphire and her twin sister, Honey, were delivered by caesarean on November 4, 2016. They were born at 33 weeks gestation with low birth weights and related medical issues.

Family spokeswoman Teresa Tua has written to the chief coroner asking why they never received a report and why the coroner carried out her investigation “on papers” in chambers and not in a courtroom where the wider family could have been involved.

“The family feels this move by Coroner Bell had disallowed them the right to dispute certain facts.”

Tua said Sapphire’s mother and other immediate family found out the report had been released when they saw abusive messages on Facebook.

“It was a shock . . . They were unaware the media was going to release the findings or the names to the public, nor were they aware of what the findings contained . . . In plain words we are outraged.”

The family raised concerns about the process because they wanted to prevent others suffering as they had.

In Bell’s report she notes receiving a statement from a Sudden Death in Infants (SUDI) liaison officer and said coroners relied on such reports to provide explanation from the parents as to how the death occurred.

In this case the officer was unsuccessful in meeting with the parents, but had two conversations with Sapphire’s paternal grandfather.

The cause of death wasn’t ascertained, but Bell warned women not to drink while breastfeeding. Contributing factors cited included a dangerous sleeping environment, prematurity, possible septicaemia, suffocation — and acute alcohol intoxication.