Inquest: Cru Kahui not taken to hospital after breathing stopped

William Kahui. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

The Kahui twins' grandfather drove 50km to search for their mother when baby Cru stopped breathing, instead of taking him 4km down the road to hospital, a coroner's inquest has been told.

Chris Kahui's father William Kahui was vigorously cross examined when he gave evidence at the inquest into the death of twins Cru and Chris Kahui today.

William Kahui was at the family's Mangere house the night before the babies were admitted to hospital with life-threatening head injuries when his daughter, Mona, started yelling that baby Cru had stopped breathing.

"Chris put him on the couch and started blowing air into his mouth. I thought he didn't know what he was doing so I gave (Cru) a couple of compressions, because I just finished a course in CPR. It didn't look to me like the baby was blue or sick or anything," he said.

William Kahui was going to be taking Mona to Middlemore Hospital - a five minute drive away - that night anyway, to see her ill mother.

But instead of taking Cru to get medical help, he drove about 25km to Papakura and back to look for Macsyna King, the baby's mother. He didn't find her.

Asked why he had been so anxious to get Ms King back he replied "because she's the mother".

"They know what to do in that circumstance, that's why."

The babies slept in a room with their father that night and were taken to hospital the next day. They died five days later.

After being extensively cross-examined by Coroner Garry Evans and police lawyer Simon Mount, William Kahui said in hindsight he should have taken Cru straight to hospital.

In his initial statement to police, William Kahui did not mention that Cru had stopped breathing until late in the interview.

"I wasn't trying to cover up or anything," he told the coroner.

"But you must understand, that is an interpretation I might make," the coroner replied.

William Kahui said his son was never violent or angry, and would always run away at the first sign of aggression.

He had never seen him smack his children; "that's not the sort of person he is," he said.

"They could do anything to Chris and Chris wouldn't bat an eyelid."

He will continue giving evidence tomorrow.

- NZPA