Woman on trial for toddler murder

A woman went on trial yesterday charged with the murder of a toddler in Bay of Plenty more than three years ago.

Melissa Sale died in Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital on January 8, 2006, four days after she suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The foster caregiver of 14-month-old Melissa, Karen Alice Robinson, appeared in the High Court at Rotorua where she pleaded not guilty to the child's murder.

Melissa and her older sister had been placed into the Paengaroa home where Robinson lived with her sharemilker husband and five children in November 2005, the Bay of Plenty Times reported.

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.

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

Defence lawyer Rachael Adams said Melissa's death was an accident, and Mrs Robinson "did nothing to harm the child in any way".

The defence said the evidence was entirely consistent with Mrs Robinson's explanation that the child's death was an accident - a freak accident, a tragedy, "but not one for which Mrs Robinson is responsible in any way".

The trial was expected to last three weeks.

- NZPA