The mother of a woman who died during an exorcism attempt says her daughter was doing and saying a lot of unusual things in the days leading to her death.
Nine people are accused of the manslaughter of Janet Moses, 22, who died during in Lower Hutt in October 2007.
Olivia Rawiri told the court on Thursday that her daughter was doing and saying a lot of unusual things in the days leading to her death.
Ms Rawiri said she stayed at her father's house on the Sunday night before Janet Moses died and her daughter was with her.
She said throughout that night any little noise would make Ms Moses scared and Ms Rawiri said she became scared also.
Ms Rawiri said a tohunga (Maori healer) visited the house the next day and told them Ms Moses had a makutu, or curse, on her. He did not say who had done that.
Ms Rawiri said the tohunga rubbed Ms Moses with a 10-cent coin and sprinkled her with water. He told them she had had three claws in her and he had removed two of them.
Earlier, pathologist John Rutherford told the court he is confident Ms Moses had drowned during the attempted exorcism.
John Rutherford performed a post-mortem examination on Ms Moses and told the court on Thursday he was satisfied that she drowned as a result of having water forced into her mouth during a ritualistic procedure.
However in cross-examination, Dr Rutherford admitted that it is the first case he has ever heard of in which a person drowned as a result of ingesting water, rather than being submerged in it.
Dr Rutherford says he could find no mention of such a case in medical literature.
The jury was reduced to 11 people on Thursday. Justice Simon France suppressed his reasons for excusing the juror.
