Kahui tells inquest he should have thought more about statement

Chris Kahui. Photo / Dean Purcell

The father of slain twins Chris and Cru Kahui agreed he was careless about signing his police statement before reading it properly.

Cru and Chris died in hospital from severe head injuries in June 2006. Their father Chris Kahui was found not guilty of their murders in a 2008 High Court trial, at which his lawyers said their mother, Macsyna King, killed them.

Mr Kahui was asked today by police lawyer Simon Mount at the inquest in Auckland District Court into the twins' deaths why he said in the statement he left his then partner Ms King to do everything for them.

"That's not true is it?", Mr Mount asked.

Mr Kahui agreed and described how he had fed the twins about 5pm on the day before they were taken to hospital.

"Looking back, do you think you were a bit careless signing that police statement?" Mr Mount asked.

Mr Kahui said he should have thought more about what was in it.

He said there was no reason why he would have told police something that was wrong.

Earlier today, Mr Kahui said he thought Ms King must have killed their three-month-old twin sons because he believed she was having affairs with two other family members.

An interim suppression order was partially lifted this morning by coroner Garry Evans on the reason why Mr Kahui yesterday said he had changed his mind that Ms King "might have" to "must have" killed the twins.

He said it was because Mr Kahui found out that Ms King was allegedly having an intimate relationship with two other family members.

The details of the family members concerned remained suppressed.

"When I heard about that it disgusted me a little," Mr Kahui said.

Mr Kahui told the inquest yesterday he had never done anything to hurt his children.

He said he never hit them, hurt them or shook them in any way.

He said he thought Ms King must have caused their fatal injuries.

"I have never done anything to hurt my children. I never asked Macsyna if she did it. I didn't do it so I thought she must have."

Mr Kahui denied he had ever used methamphetamine or cannabis, but admitted to occasionally drinking alcohol.

In the weeks leading up to the twins' deaths, Mr Kahui said he spent almost every day in hospital with his mother who was seriously ill with pneumonia, so Ms King looked after the twins most of the time.

He did not know she was using methamphetamine when the twins were at home, he said.

Ms King has denied she caused the injuries which led to the babies' deaths.

Mr Kahui will continuing to give his version of events at the inquest today.

- NZPA