Aunt names abuser of Lillybing

By STAFF REPORTERS

The woman convicted of killing Carterton toddler Lillybing has given police the name of a relative she says sexually abused the little girl.

Rachaelle Namana was convicted of manslaughter but police have never charged anyone over the horrific sexual abuse suffered by Hinewaoriki Karaitiana-Matiaha, known as Lillybing.

Last night, TV3's 20/20 reported that Namana had made a statement from Arohata Women's Prison, where she is serving a six-year sentence.

The head of the inquiry, Inspector Rod Drew, said it was good news she had spoken to police.

There would be further investigations, and then he hoped to get more details from Namana to determine the truth of what she had said.

The 20/20 investigation reported that Namana claimed she had seen the unnamed person with a knife after her children had come running to her saying he was "cutting up Lillybing."

Police have long suspected that family members closed ranks to protect whoever sexually abused the toddler.

Lillybing died last July from brain injuries. She was covered in more than 90 bruises and abrasions, had a full-face burn, and was also suffering genital mutilation so severe that doctors said it could have killed her had the head injuries not done so first.

Namana denied knowing of any genital injury. Even after she and her sister, Rongomai Paewai, were convicted of ill-treatment and failing to provide the necessaries of life, police said they would continue to hunt for Lillybing's abuser.

Namana, 28, was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter. She received concurrent terms of two years' jail on two charges of wilful ill-treatment, two years on two charges of failing to provide the necessaries of life and 18 months for an earlier assault on the toddler.

Paewai, 27, was sentenced to two years' jail after pleading guilty to two charges of ill-treatment and two charges of failing to provide necessaries of life.

On the day Namana was sentenced, Mr Drew said that although the women admitted noticing something was wrong with Lillybing's vagina the day before she died, "it should not necessarily be inferred that a third person was involved in inflicting the injuries.

"The injuries were violent, but not necessarily sexually motivated ones."