KEY POINTS:
The Court of Appeal yesterday reserved its judgment on an Auckland man's appeal against conviction and sentence for the manslaughter of his young stepdaughter.
Warick Broadhurst was jailed in the High Court in Auckland in April this year for 7 1/2 years for killing 2-year-old Arwen Fletcher in March 2006.
Broadhurst, then aged 18, shook Arwen before slamming her head into a hard surface, causing a 28cm fracture and splitting her skull open.
Defence lawyer Paul Borich yesterday argued his trial had been prejudiced when the jury was shown a number of previous injuries suffered by Arwen as evidence of a history of abuse, despite just one of the injuries being connected to Broadhurst.
