Publicity 'stopped' hospital taking legal action for boy

The Starship children's hospital failed to take court action over a family refusing treatment for their dying son partly because of controversy over the Liam Williams-Holloway case, a witness told the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

Dr David Mauger, a paediatric oncologist at the Starship, said the hospital was mindful of the publicity surrounding the refusal by Liam's parents to accept conventional treatment for their son, who was diagnosed with cancer.

His comments emerged during the trial of Peni and Faafetai Laufau, charged with manslaughter after the death of their 13-year-old son, Tovia.

The couple repeatedly refused treatment on behalf of their son, despite warnings that his bone cancer would be fatal without it. Tovia died last year with a basketball-sized tumour on his leg.

Dr Mauger, Tovia's oncologist, said numerous reasons were behind the decision not to seek a court order making Tovia a ward and available for treatment. "The primary reason ... was because we needed to work cooperatively with the family to have any chance of success."