Cause of baby’s injuries may remain unknown
It may never be known what caused a baby’s ‘‘catastrophic’’ head injuries.
However, a jury has decided his father was not responsible.
Poseidyn Pickering was a happy, clumsy and clingy baby, but in September 2020, he went from acting like his normal self, ‘‘full of smiles’’, to grunting and deeply unconscious. The 10-month-old was rushed to hospital from his home in Manurewa, south Auckland. He died the next day.
Poseidyn’s father, Simon, was charged with murder nearly 20 days after he died. On Monday, after nearly three hours of deliberations, a jury found him not guilty of murder or manslaughter. He walked from the dock a free man.
During the course of the 32-year-old’s trial at the High Court at Auckland, the court heard 12 people had been living in the three-bedroom Kāinga Ora home when Poseidyn sustained his injuries.
Pickering shared a room and a double bed with his then-partner and Poseidyn’s mother Filoi Huakau, Poseidyn and another child, aged 2.
A number of medical experts gave evidence during the trial. Most of their evidence was uncontested.
Dr Fiona Miles oversaw Poseidyn’s care from the moment he arrived at Starship Children’s Hospital.
While he was in the operating theatre, she spoke with the parents and asked what happened.
The information they gave did not explain the injuries, Miles said.
Dr Rexson Tse, who conducted the post-mortem examination, said a bone in Poseidyn’s skull had fractured and pushed itself onto his brain, lacerating it.
Tse said it was a very significant injury and most commonly caused by a bullet or a knife.
The pathologist also ruled out a fall as the cause of the injuries, saying significant force would have had to have been used – ‘‘such as if a child was held in the head and then slammed into the window sill, not just a passive fall’’.
However, the medical experts could not determine what caused Poseidyn’s injuries.
In the end, neither could the jury.
Police would not say whether they were looking to charge anyone else in relation to Poseidyn’s death.
‘‘At this stage we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter,’’ Detective Senior Sergeant Kevin Tiernan said.