Baby Bella killed by being ‘thrown’

A Whanganui man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of an 8-month-old baby who was ‘thrown’ in a moment of frustration.

Nicho Caleb Frater, now 26, had been told he was the father of Bella Richardson, and had moved to live with Bella’s mother Kirsty Richardson two weeks before Bella’s death in November 2016.

Also living in the Hackett St, Whanganui, house were Bella’s three older siblings. Frater’s own mother moved there too, about a week after her son.

A Crown summary of what happened said that on November 7, 2016, Frater was looking after Bella while the older children were taken to school.

Bella was irritable when Kirsty Richardson returned before leaving the house again to go to the city central shopping area.

The summary said Bella continued to be irritable while Frater cared for her. In the half-hour after Richardson left the house, Frater went to Bella’s room. In a momentary loss of control, he injured the infant.

‘‘This was a single incident of short duration. Bella was thrown by Mr Frater in a moment of frustration and this throw caused the injury which caused Bella’s death,’’ the summary said.

It did not say what surface she landed on.

Bella stopped breathing and went limp. Frater asked his mother for help, he phoned for an ambulance, and attempts were made to resuscitate Bella but she died about an hour later.

The summary said she had a haemorrhage around the brain and spinal cord and the head injury caused immediate or near immediate symptoms leading to her death.

Although the summary said Frater had been told he was Bella’s father, and believed it, it did not say that he was Bella’s father. When he was arrested, police issued a statement saying he was known to Bella but not related.

Frater was charged with murder nearly two years after Bella died. He pleaded not guilty.

The charge was reduced in court yesterday to manslaughter and he pleaded guilty.

Justice Rebecca Ellis convicted Frater and remanded him in custody for sentencing on December 16.

After the hearing WilkinsonSmith said the decision to reduce a charge from murder to manslaughter was taken by Crown Law.

The factors looked at included the likelihood of a conviction for murder, whether the evidence supported an intent that would amount in law to murder, and what the defendant did afterwards that might point to what his intent had been.

Bella was thrown by Mr Frater in a moment of frustration and this throw caused the injury which caused Bella’s death.

Crown summary