Maketu murder accused claimed daughter killed as part of 'hostile takeover', jury told

Aaron George Izett, 38, is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / File

The Maketu man accused of murdering his daughter claimed she was killed by someone as part of a conspiracy against him, a jury has been told.

A police officer giving evidence in court yesterday said Aaron George Izett, 38, also claimed his wealth was in the "trillion-dollar" range.

Izett, who is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua, has denied murdering his 2-year-old daughter Nevaeh Ager at Little Waihi Maketu between March 20 and 21, 2019

The toddler's naked body was found by police face down on the tidal flats in the Little Waihi estuary and the court has been told the cause of death was drowning.

Detective Sergeant Alan Kingsbury said that on April 15 last year Izett was collected from the Henry Bennett Centre, and driven to Tauranga police station.

The centre is a Hamilton-based mental health facility.

Izett was due to appear in the Tauranga District Court that day after earlier being charged with murder and assault charges, the court heard.

Kingsbury said during the drive back to Tauranga, Izett made a number of comments which he recorded in his notebook and later read back to the accused.

Izett said he could not remember much of what happened on March 21.

Izett said his mother was visiting from Cairns but she intending moving back to Matapihi to build a home and stated he had shares in land in Matapihi and all over New Zealand

Kingsbury said when asked whether he remembered struggling with the police, Izett said he thought the police were going to steal his whale tooth and wanted it back.

When Izett was arrested during a lengthy struggle with police and charged with murder, he was holding a large white whale's tooth in one hand, the jury earlier heard.

Kingsbury said Izett told him that it was " very upsetting" to hear his daughter was dead. and his lawyer advised him not to talk to the police about it.

Izett then asked about a hat and a badge belonging to his father, and a piece of greenstone, which he again stated he wanted it back, the officer said.

The accused also said his father lived in Wellington and owned gentlemen's clubs, and was the national president of the Hells Angels, the court heard.

The defendant also claimed his family owned some land where the high rise apartments are were located In Mount Maunganui which was "worth millions of dollars".

Izett said a lot of land had been stolen from him, including a new kiwifruit block in Little Waihi.

He then goes onto say that he believed there had been a "hostile takeover" and his father was in danger either having been kidnapped or "they have murdered him".

He told Kingsbury he wanted to work in the construction industry like his father.

"Realistically I think I'm worth a trillion dollars," Izett said.

He also said people were trying to keep him out of the industry, which he believed was a "trillion-dollar" industry.

When Kingsbury asked who was trying to do that, Izett replies: " Well, look at me, I'm locked up, my daughter is dead and I think they killed her."

But when pressed, Izett said he did not know who killed his daughter.

"But like I say it's a trillion-dollar industry... it's an industry that involves people stealing blocks of land. I have had a lot of people stealing blocks of land. They say they are related to us and then they take out the land."

When asked to explain his comment about hostile takeovers, Izett said: "It's a trillion-dollar industry, and people go in and steal our land."

Izett also said the Rebels Motorcycle gang were wanting to establish a local chapter in the area and they were " trying to do a hostile takeover" of him.

When asked to explain what he meant by hostile takeover, Izett replies:

"It's a trillion-dollar industry, and people go in and steal our land."

Izett said the last thing he remembered before he ended up in hospital was the police officers "shackling" him and being tasered.

"I was feeling like they [police] were burning me."

Izett said he loved his daughter and hearing about her death was"hard" and did want to say much because he" did not want to breakdown again".

Nevaeh Ager, 2 drowned in March 2019. Photo / File

During Izett's formal interview at the Tauranga police station, Kingsbury read his written notes of their conversation during the trip to Tauranga to the defendant.

When asked about his psychiatric history, Izett said he sometimes heard voices and had done so in the police cells, but "not as bad as when first locked up".

Kingsbury said Izett then requested to "void everything" he had earlier to told the police officers and read back to him, saying "it was not making sense" to him.

Izett also said what he was hearing was "false or very misleading".

"I don't wish to be judged on things that don't exist," he told the detective.

Kingsbury said when he put the allegation to Izett that he had murdered his daughter.
the accused's response was "f**k no", then he shook his head twice.

At that point, Izett then said he wanted to end the interview.

"I'd like to go now, it's a big shock. I want to get out of here and I want to speak to my lawyer," Izett told Kingsbury. the court heard.

Earlier, Pathologist Rexson Tse told the court that Nevaeh had multiple bruises and abrasions to almost all of her body, including her head, limbs, torso and buttocks.

He said there could have been up to 70 blows inflicted before the toddler drowned.

The trial continues.