Convicted parents looking after child

The devout Seventh Day Adventists convicted of manslaughter after claiming God would save their dying son are out of prison and living with their 3-year-old daughter.

Six-month-old Caleb Moorhead died in March 2001 of bronchial pneumonia after his strictly religious parents, Roby Jan Moorhead and Deborah Anne Moorhead, removed him from hospital and attempted to treat his illness with herbal remedies.

Caleb had a severe vitamin deficiency brought on by Mrs Moorhead's vegan diet.

After a high-profile trial in 2002, the Moorheads were jailed for five years for manslaughter.

Mrs Moorhead was six months pregnant at the time and gave birth in prison to a baby girl.

Three weeks ago they were both released from prison after serving three years of their sentence, and were reunited with their daughter Hope - now 3 - who has been living with Mrs Moorhead's sister Donna Murray.

The Moorheads have moved into Mrs Murray's Tairua home in the Coromandel.

A woman at the house said the family were happy to be together again and wanted to be left alone.

"We want to have a life, we are really happy," said the woman, who refused to give her name.

"We are happy to be a happy family and just get on with our lives," she said.

The woman would not say how the Moorheads were coping or how Hope was.

"There is nothing to say, it is life, and it is family and it is getting on, so there is no story.

"If people want to go over things that happened four years ago they can go for it."

The family is involved in a project in Tairua called Caring Communities which runs a communal vegetable garden for people in the area.

"We have a beautiful place here and we are trying to set up the community of our dreams.

"It's a small, caring community and we feel very safe."

A neighbour near the Moorheads' Dargaville farm said the devout Seventh Day Adventists left their hometown for Tairua a week ago, and were enjoying looking around.

"Their little girl is beautiful. She is nearly 3, she is walking around, she is very bright."

Child Youth and Family would not comment on the case other than to say Hope Moorhead was a ward of the courts.

When the Moorheads were sentenced in 2002, Detective Sergeant Chris Scahill said police were committed to ensuring the Moorhead's new baby did not suffer the same fate as Caleb.

Last night he said the continued welfare of Caleb's little sister was in the hands of CYF.

"I haven't had any dealings with the Moorheads since they were sentenced. It is now up to CYF to make sure their daughter is receiving the best care."

National youth spokeswoman Katherine Rich said she hoped the Moorheads had learned something while they were in jail.

"If they haven't learned anything I believe there is a risk it could happen again."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY