29 Jun 2011

Aunt tells inquest Kahui dad played video games as boys hospitalised

5:10 pm on 29 June 2011

The aunt of two babies who died from suspicious head injuries says their father played video games as the boys were admitted to hospital.

Mona Kahui was giving evidence on Wednesday at the inquest into the deaths of three-month-old boys Cru and Chris Kahui in Auckland in June 2006.

She is a sister of Chris Kahui, the father of the twins who was acquitted of their murder in 2008.

She said Mr Kahui was phoned twice by his partner from hospital to be told the boys were injured and in intensive care.

Ms Kahui said he appeared dumbfounded by the calls and was in a state of disbelief.

She told the coroner that Mr Kahui played Playstation games with a relative until the police arrived to talk to him.

She later re-considered her statement and said she was actually not sure whether he had continued to play games after the phone calls.

Ms Kahui also told the coroner she picked up Cru on the night before the babies were admitted to hospital and saw his eyes roll back and lips turn blue.

She says she told Mr Kahui that Cru had stopped breathing and he became worried.

Ms Kahui watched her brother lay the baby on the couch to begin CPR before she ran from the room but returned to find that Cru had come right.

The inquest was told Mr Kahui seemed like a happy father that night, but had been bothered by a disagreement with his partner earlier in the evening.