Ministry delays child neglect case again

Two young parents charged with child neglect are ‘‘frustrated’’ it has taken nearly two years to learn if their child has brittle bones, as a government agency continues to delay the case.

The couple were charged with failing to get medical care for the infant, whose skull was fractured in March 2017. They were aged 17 and 19 at the time.

The father pleaded guilty to child neglect at the Blenheim District Court nine months later, but disputed the summary of facts. The mother pleaded not guilty.

Her lawyer, Laurie Murdoch, said in court on Monday, 22 months after the alleged offence, that Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, had again delayed the case.

The parents were finding the delays frustrating, Murdoch said.

They spent several months waiting for a geneticist to test the child. But the child was under the ministry’s care, and the ministry initially refused to allow the tests.

Judge Bill Hastings called the delays ‘‘unacceptable’’ in July last year, ordering the ministry to explain why it was obstructing the case.

The ministry’s geneticist tested the child in July and November, promising results before Christmas. When the ministry did not respond to Murdoch’s inquiries about the report last week, she said she contacted the geneticist, who said she would talk to the parents.

Judge Jan Kelly remanded the parents to February 18, and ordered their interim name suppression to continue.