A 32-year-old Upper Hutt man and a 20-year-old Upper Hutt woman will appear in the Levin District Court tomorrow afternoon, 29 November, on charges relating to the death of a baby girl.
A police homicide inquiry was launched at 11.30 yesterday morning after the man and the child’s mother took the infant to the Otaki Medical Centre. Tragically however, the baby was already dead.
Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Cotter, Wellington CIB, says Levin and Otaki police staff interviewed both the man and the child’s mother. As a result, the man has been charged with murder and the woman with failing to provide the necessities of life.
Both are currently in custody at the Levin Police Station and will appear before a Justice of the Peace in the Levin Court tomorrow afternoon.
The homicide investigation, led by Detective Inspector Rod Drew, Wellington District field crime manager, continues today with background inquiries in the Upper Hutt Area and a postmortem at Wellington Hospital’s mortuary.
Detective Senior Sergeant Cotter says he can’t comment on how the badly bruised baby died or the extent of her injuries.
The name of the baby has not been released at this stage.
Ends