KEY POINTS:
The second in charge of the investigation into the death of the Kahui twins has denied he failed to disclose relevant information to the defence in order to help the case against murder accused Chris Kahui.
Detective Sergeant Chris Barry said under cross-examination that he didn't tell the Crown and defence that he asked the twins' mother Macsyna King's sister Emily King in March 2007 why her phone was shown in Mangere at 7.54pm on June 12 2006, because he didn't think it was relevant.
Mr Barry also said he waited six months to tell the two parties that witness Eru Tuari told police about admissions Macsyna King made to him because he wanted to talk to her first.
The defence in the trial of Kahui, 23, said Ms King may have killed her premature three-month-old twins Cru and Chris Kahui in June 2006.
The Crown says Kahui is the only one who could have killed them.
Mr Barry was questioned at length by defence lawyer Michelle Wilkinson-Smith about why he didn't disclose the two pieces of evidence.
He said Emily King gave no explanation in March 2007 when asked by him why phone records showed she was in Mangere on June 12 2006.
He didn't follow it up because there was no suggestion Emily and Macsyna King went back to the Kahui household that evening.
When the suggestion was made at the trial, Mr Barry said police re-interviewed Emily King, who said earlier in the trial that she had been in the area as she was travelling to south Auckland to pick up her husband's car.
At one stage when Ms Wilkinson-Smith directly asked Mr Barry why the first conversation was not disclosed, she asked "Isn't it the case that you didn't job sheet (the conversation with Emily King) because you didn't want to alert defence?"
Mr Barry's answer was "no".
He also said he didn't disclose the conversation with Mr Tuari because he was busy with other work and wanted to interview Ms King for completeness.
He accepted it was not normal to sit on the information for six months but did not accept it was a breach of disclosure obligations as six weeks before trial was timely enough.
Later, opening the case for the defence, Ms Wilkinson-Smith briefed the jury on the witnesses to be called, including an ex-boyfriend of Macsyna King.
Ms Smith said the man heard Ms King confess to the killing of the twins.
She also told the jury to put aside their initial impressions of Kahui and the case prior to the trial.
The trial continues.
- NZPA
