Kahui with twins before Cru stopped breathing: sister

Mona Kahui. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Chris Kahui was alone with his twins for about 10 minutes, moments before one of them stopped breathing, an inquest into the death of the 3-month-old babies heard yesterday.

His sister Mona confirmed in her testimony to the coroner an earlier statement she had made to police.

"It was probably about 10 minutes from the time Chris went inside until I went in ..."

She said that moments later, she noticed Cru was pale, not breathing and had blue lips.

The twins died of head injuries at the Starship hospital in 2006. Two years later, in the High Court at Auckland, Mr Kahui was acquitted of their murders. His lawyers alleged that the twins' mother, Macsyna King, caused the fatal injuries. She denied the killings.

Mona Kahui lived with her then partner Stuart King, as well as Chris Kahui and Macsyna King, when the twins were hurt.

Yesterday, she confirmed to police lawyer Simon Mount that on the night the twins were hurt, she had planned to visit her sick mother in hospital. Macsyna King had left the house.

Mr Mount asked: "It would have been very easy to take the twins with you?" Ms Kahui agreed it would have been. She also agreed that Mr Kahui did not want that to happen.

Earlier, she related how her brother had appeared as a "happy Dad" moments before the breathing episode with Cru. She wept as she recalled walking into the nursery to see her brother cradling baby Chris.

Ms Kahui said that once she noticed Cru not breathing, Mr Kahui took him from her, laid him on the couch and stroked his arm before giving CPR.

Ms Kahui ran from the room to get her partner. "I was scared." She came back into the room and Cru was breathing again.

Ms Kahui said her brother told Cru: "Jeez, my son, don't do that again."

None of the adults called an ambulance because Mr Kahui had the car handy if he needed to get to hospital, she said.

She did not think an ambulance was necessary because "my brother was okay".

She told the court that if Cru had been her child, she would have taken him to hospital.

Ms Kahui said Macsyna King had previously told her the babies had held their breath for a short period but after a "gentle shake" they would breathe again.

The inquest continues today.