William Sio appears in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Stephen Parker
William Sio appears in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Stephen Parker
The alleged murderer of a 5-year-old boy has appeared before a full public gallery this morning.
Five-year-old Ferro-James Tiopira Sio died in Rotorua Hospital on February 8.
On February 18, the boy's father, 24-year-old William James Sio, was charged with murder and ill-treatment/neglect of a child. Leza Rawiri, 28, was charged with ill-treatment/neglect of a child.
Ferro-James Sio. Photo / Supplied
William Sio appeared in person wearing a blue boiler suit before Judge Greg Hollister-Jones in the Rotorua District Court this morning.
He was remanded in custody to appear in the High Court at Rotorua on March 13.
A member of the public slammed the door as she left the court after Sio's appearance.
Rawiri, the co-defendant, appeared via audiovisual link from custody.
She hid her face from the screen.
Memorial for Ferro-James Sio at the tree outside the Union St house he lived in. Photo / File
Defence counsel Moana Dorset told the court Ferro-James was not Rawiri's son.
Rawiri was remanded in custody to reappear with her co-accused in the High Court on March 13.
Police and forensics scientists cordoned off the house on Union St, Victoria, on the weekend of Ferro-James' death and a post-mortem examination was carried out.
About 100 people gathered for a vigil for Ferro-James at Jean Batten Square in Rotorua on February 16.
Karakia for Ferro-James Sio. Photo / File
Ferro-James' whānau from Rotorua and Tauranga were supported by fellow attendees.
Earlier that day Man Up also held a Ride for Hope to acknowledge the child's death.
At the time, Oranga Tamariki's northern deputy chief executive for services for children and families, Glynis Sandland, said: "The death of this little boy is extremely distressing".
