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| Child murder case shocks NZ court | Child murder case shocks NZ court |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Two New Zealand men have been convicted of murdering a three-year old girl, after months of torturing the child. | Two New Zealand men have been convicted of murdering a three-year old girl, after months of torturing the child. |
| Wiremu Curtis, 19, and his brother Michael, 22, face life sentences for the murder of Nia Glassie. | Wiremu Curtis, 19, and his brother Michael, 22, face life sentences for the murder of Nia Glassie. |
| Nia died of brain injuries in hospital on 3 August 2007, two weeks after suffering fatal kicks to her head. | Nia died of brain injuries in hospital on 3 August 2007, two weeks after suffering fatal kicks to her head. |
| The judge in the four-week trial, Judith Potter, wept as she delivered the sentence and thanked similarly shaken jurors for coping with the case. | The judge in the four-week trial, Judith Potter, wept as she delivered the sentence and thanked similarly shaken jurors for coping with the case. |
| That they didn't speak out in time is something family members and neighbours will have to live with Cindy KiroChildren's commissioner Nia's mother, Lisa Kuka, 35, who was in a relationship with Michael Curtis, was found guilty of manslaughter for failing to protect her child. | That they didn't speak out in time is something family members and neighbours will have to live with Cindy KiroChildren's commissioner Nia's mother, Lisa Kuka, 35, who was in a relationship with Michael Curtis, was found guilty of manslaughter for failing to protect her child. |
| Nia's cousin Michael Pearson, 20, and Michael Curtis's partner Oriwa Kemp, 18, were found not guilty of manslaughter but were found guilty of child cruelty charges in the complex case. | |
| New Zealand's Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro told local media that there had been some consolation for the toddler's tragic death in the fact that justice had been served. | New Zealand's Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro told local media that there had been some consolation for the toddler's tragic death in the fact that justice had been served. |
| Catalogue of abuse | Catalogue of abuse |
| The court heard details of horrific abuse inflicted on the three-year old: | |
| • She had been kicked, beaten, slapped, jumped on and held over a burning fire | |
| • She had been put into a clothes dryer spinning at top heat | |
| • Wrestling moves copied from a computer game had been practised on her | |
| • She had been folded into a sofa and sat on, shoved into piles of rubbish, dragged through a sandpit half naked, flung against a wall and dropped from a height onto the floor | |
| • And she had been whirled rapidly on an outdoor rotary clothes line until she was thrown off. | |
| At one point, she was left lying unconscious for 36 hours without medical attention. | At one point, she was left lying unconscious for 36 hours without medical attention. |
| 'Wider guilt' | 'Wider guilt' |
| Neighbours who saw some of the abuse have told reporters they will live with the guilt of not having informed the authorities sooner. | Neighbours who saw some of the abuse have told reporters they will live with the guilt of not having informed the authorities sooner. |
| Court officials said they had been shocked at how some witnesses found the level of violence in the home to be normal. | Court officials said they had been shocked at how some witnesses found the level of violence in the home to be normal. |
| Prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch said investigators could find no obvious motive for the abuse other than bullying. | Prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch said investigators could find no obvious motive for the abuse other than bullying. |
| "She was bullied in the worst kind of way. She was singled out, for what reason we do not know," he said. | "She was bullied in the worst kind of way. She was singled out, for what reason we do not know," he said. |
| "Both family members and neighbours were aware of the neglect and abuse Nia was subject to," Children's Commissioner Ms Kiro said in a statement. | "Both family members and neighbours were aware of the neglect and abuse Nia was subject to," Children's Commissioner Ms Kiro said in a statement. |
| "That they didn't speak out in time is something they will have to live with." | "That they didn't speak out in time is something they will have to live with." |