Man with ‘Once Were Warriors’ upbringing severely injures baby the first time they are left alone

A baby suffered a serious brain injury at the hands of Tyrone Tiori. File photo / 123RF

This article describes non-accidental injuries to a baby boy and may be distressing for some readers.

The first time Tyrone Tiori was left alone with a three-month-old boy, he injured him so badly that the baby was left unable to see or move, or feed without help.

The baby had been born after an enraged Tiori had thrown his eight-months pregnant partner onto a bed, causing her waters to break.

He has now been sentenced in the High Court for both those incidents, and a third when he threw his brother’s ex-partner to the ground and kicked her multiple times.

Tiori has been sent to jail for four years and five months.

The Masterton man had earlier pleaded guilty to assault on a person in a family relationship, causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure, injuring with intent to injure and threatening to kill.

Justice Helen McQueen said in the Wellington High Court that on March 22, 2022, Tiori and his partner spent a night in a motel in Petone.

The following morning, his partner noticed messages on Tiori’s phone to another woman and confronted him about it.

He became enraged, broke a window and tipped furniture over. He pushed his partner on to the bed, causing her waters to break.

The next day, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

By June 2022, Tiori’s partner had left him and was looking after the baby fulltime.

On June 16, Tiori asked to have the boy for an afternoon and the mother dropped the baby off to him for a six-hour visit.

When she returned in the evening the baby was lying on a bed with his eyes half-closed and rolled back. He was making unusual grunting noises. His face was bruised.

It is not known how the injuries were inflicted.

The mother confronted Tiori about what had happened and he initially refused to hand the boy back, but she went away and returned with other people for support.

Emergency services were called and the boy was found to have an extremely serious brain injury, ruptured retinas, a hemorrhaged eye and significant ligament damage in his neck.

Doctors believed that he would not survive but when the baby was taken off life support a week later, he stayed alive and breathing on his own “but unable to move, see, or feed without support”, Justice McQueen said.

A medical report confirmed the baby had suffered a non-accidental and severe brain injury. It said the baby’s prognosis was likely to be poor with increased risk for cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, epilepsy, visual impairment and long-term dangers from an “unsafe” capacity for swallowing.

In a victim impact statement, Tiori’s partner spoke about their relationship, saying he “made her feel like a dog” and she did not trust men any more.

“She says that her son has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy following the attack by you, and that he may never walk,” Justice McQueen said.

“She discusses how traumatising it was preparing for her son to die noting the clinician’s view that he would never be able to breathe on his own.

“She says that when he was taken off life support, he ceased breathing for a short time and then managed to come back on his own.

“She says that she still blames herself for what happened to her son and she is angry with you for not taking responsibility for your actions,” the judge said.

“Nevertheless, she is thankful to have her son alive.”

In the third incident, on May 19, 2022, Tiori was at the family home in Masterton when his brother’s ex-partner arrived with her two young children.

There was an argument during which Tiori threatened to bury her in the back yard, before throwing her to the ground and kicking her multiple times.

The woman received a fractured clavical, bruising and grazing.

Upbringing ‘was like Once Were Warriors’

Justice McQueen said that Tiori’s mother and sister had been interviewed for a cultural report and described his upbringing, with an extremely violent and controlling father as “like Once Were Warriors”.

The family had connections with the Nomads gang. Tiori, his father and brothers have all spent time in prison.

Tiori’s childhood was volatile involving family violence, substance abuse, frequent relocations around the lower North Island and periods living with other family members and in state care.

“Family violence has remained a significant feature of your personal intimate relationships, as well as substantial drug use.”

A probation officer’s pre-sentence report said Tiori had a high likelihood of reoffending and posed a high risk of harm to others. He had offended consistently since the age of 17.

He is now in his mid-30s.

Justice McQueen said Tiori was addicted to methamphetamine and was using it heavily when he injured the baby.

“Mr Tiori, I am satisfied on the basis of the information you have provided to the report writers, as confirmed by your mother and sister, that your offending is linked to intergenerational deprivation, as evidenced in your childhood experiences,” Justice McQueen said.

“You witnessed and experienced extensive family violence, as has now been replicated by your violence.”

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.