Trial begins for dead toddler's caregiver

Wearing a pink T-shirt and fairy skirt, toddler Melissa Sale snoozed on a deckchair outside her Paengaroa home on a sunny January day.

It's a happy summer snapshot that could have come from any family album.

But less than four hours later, the 14-month-old was fighting for her life in Tauranga Hospital. Four days later, she was dead.

That was more that three years ago. On Monday, a trial began in Rotorua High Court, with Melissa's foster caregiver Karen Alice Robinson in the dock charged with her murder. Robinson has pleaded not guilty.

Melissa and her older sister had been placed into the home where Robinson lived with her sharemilker husband and five children in November 2005.

Experts say Melissa died from severe subdural bleeding, a traumatic brain injury.

Robinson claims the brain injury was due to a fall from her portacot, which was placed in the court room as evidence.

Crown solicitor Greg Hollister-Jones said he would call 26 witnesses, including medical experts from Tauranga Hospital and Auckland's Starship Hospital, who would give evidence Melissa's injuries were not consistent with a fall from the cot.

The Crown said there had been two incidents of traumatic brain injury to Melissa - one at least five days earlier than the injuries which killed her.

Doctors would give evidence in the trial that Melissa's injuries included bruising to both earlobes, abrasions on her cheek, bruising on her forehead, bleeding at the back of the eye.

On the day Melissa was injured, Robinson said she put the toddler down for a sleep in her portacot, which was in the master bedroom, about 2pm.

A video taken just before 2pm, of Melissa sleeping in the deckchair, showed the toddler seemed fine.

About 5.16pm, Robinson rang 111, saying Melissa was not responsive. She said Melissa was learning to walk and had fallen over.

When the ambulance rang back six minutes later, Robinson told a "different story", saying she had fallen out of the portacot, Mr Hollister-Jones said.

Melissa was rushed to Tauranga Hospital, and then to Auckland's Starship Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery to remove a clot on the brain. She was removed from life support four days later, dying on January 8.

On the day Melissa was injured, the Crown alleges Robinson told both a social worker and a police officer she had shaken the child to get her to respond.

Mr Hollister-Jones summarised Robinson's statements: "The key points ... are that (Robinson) said she put her hands on the side of Melissa's head and shook her. She said she did 'everything she shouldn't have'. (She) delayed calling the ambulance while she shook Melissa, showered her and took her outside."

Defence lawyer Rachael Adams said Melissa's death was an accident, and Mrs Robinson did nothing to harm the child in any way. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES