Source: Radio New Zealand
The mother of a baby found unresponsive in a South Auckland home has described her broken relationship, drug use, and the day her son died, before a Coroner’s inquest on Wednesday.
Ten-month-old Poseidyn Hemopo-Pickering was rushed to Middlemore Hospital and later moved to Starship Children’s Hospital on the evening of 5 September, 2020.
He died a few hours later.
His father, Anthony Simon Pickering, was acquitted of murdering his son in 2022 after a jury trial, and no one has been held responsible for his death.
The purpose of the coronial inquiry is to determine how Poseidyn died and the circumstances surrounding his death, not criminal or civil liability.
Today, the Coroner heard from Poseidyn’s mother, Filoi Huakau, who told the court she had a fractured relationship with Poseidyn’s father, who was also present.
She said the couple domestically abused one another.
“I would say we were like showponies, we would smile for the camera but we had a lot of brokenness between us behind closed doors,” Huakau said.
“We lacked the ability to communicate properly with one another, and there was barely any affections between us.”
Huakau said the pair were heavy methamphetamine users. Her meth use continued while she was pregnant with Poseidyn.
She had said Poseidyn’s parentage was a point of debate and argument for the pair, and that it was only confirmed after his death that Pickering was in fact his biological father.
It was a miracle he had been born healthy, she said, given how much she was using and how little she was eating.
She told the court she had previously given mixed accounts to police of what happened, saying the account given on Wednesday would clear the air.
“Every time that I provided a statement, my head was in a scramble.
“What happened back then, and some of the things I said, no longer sit right with me.”
Huakau said she did not know why she lied to police.
“It is really hard to explain why I lied about certain things, but I was honestly fried, in almost every single statement that I gave,” she said.
“I know it looks like I was probably trying to cover up the truth, but to be completely honest I didn’t even know the truth, I suppose I was really just trying to find a way to justify what happened to myself.”
Huakau paused several times while giving evidence to collect herself, wiping her face with tissues.
She recalled being in the hospital with Poseidyn, and Pickering suddenly mentioning for the first time that the baby had hit his head on the window sill while his mother was out.
Poseidyn had suffered a blood clot and a fracture.
“I screamed at Simon and said, ‘why the F didn’t you say something’, he said he had only just remembered it now,” Huakau said.
“All I remember is just crying.”
She spoke about a family hui following Poseidyn’s death, in which she and Pickering were told one of them would need to take the blame for their child’s death, and that it needed to be Pickering.
‘Your lowest low’
Later in the day, Huakau was questioned by her lawyer Kima Tuialii, who acknowledged the loss she had suffered.
“We all know that you’re sitting where ideally no mother or parent should ever have to sit, before a Coroner in a court, trying to understand what’s happened to their baby.”
She commented on Huakau’s journey to recovery.
“We’ve spoken about really your lowest low, and some of your deepest hurts,” Tuialii said.
“The way you’ve turned things around have been nothing short of remarkable, and I think that everybody in this room would agree with that.”
She asked Huakau if she believed she could have done better.
“Absolutely,” Huakau said.
“I do acknowledge that my kids were neglected, I do believe that they deserved a lot more than what they did get.”
Tuialii asked if she ever hurt Poseidyn.
“Never,” Huakau said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand