Kahui to testify at inquest

Chris Kahui will give evidence for the first time. Photo / Greg Bowker

Chris Kahui will give evidence about the deaths of his twin boys for the first time at a coroner's inquest.

The hearing into the demise of infants Chris and Cru Kahui, who suffered fatal head injuries inflicted in June 2006, will go ahead in the Auckland Coroner's Court on October 4.

Mr Kahui was interviewed three times by police before he was arrested and charged with murdering the twins in October 2006.

He was acquitted in May 2008 after a six-week trial, but did not give evidence in his defence as is his right.

The twins' mother, Macsyna King, was to be star witness for the Crown against her former partner at trial. Instead, Mr Kahui's defence lawyer, Lorraine Smith, questioned her alibi and accused Ms King of murdering the babies.

Ms King is also expected to be a witness at the coroner's hearing.

The inquest into the deaths of Chris and Cru Kahui has been delayed since a scheduled date in February. It is understood a large number of agencies will take part - including two district health boards, GPs, the Families Commission, Children's Commissioner, the Ministry of Social Development, and the police.

Chief Coroner Judge Neil Maclean has previously said an inquest would take a wider view of the deaths and look at whether anything could be done to prevent similar events.

But with both Mr Kahui and Ms King taking the witness stand, much of the public focus will be on whether fresh evidence emerges as to who killed the twins.

The police cannot reopen the investigation without new evidence so a $50,000 reward has been offered by lobby groups Family First and the Sensible Sentencing Trust as an incentive.

In April, the Independent Police Conduct Authority criticised the Kahui inquiry for "errors of judgment" and not properly recording evidence to the standard expected in a significant and high-profile case.