Maketū murder accused Aaron George Izett told 111 operator he was a 'multimillionaire', court hears

Maketū murder accused Aaron Izett is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / File

A Bay of Plenty man accused of murdering of his daughter told a St John Ambulance operator during a frantic 111 call that he was a "multimillionaire", the head of the Hells Angels and the "biggest president in New Zealand".

The call, which lasted just over 30 minutes, was made by Maketū father Aaron George Izett, 38, on March 18 last year and was played to the jury during his trial in the High Court at Rotorua today.

Izett has denied murdering 2-year-old Nevaeh Jahkaya Whatukura Ager, whose body was found by police on the tidal flats at Little Waihi in Maketū on March 21, 2019.

The 111 call was made in the early hours of March 18 after Nevaeh's mother Alyson Ager went into labour six weeks earlier than expected, and her son was born that day.

Ager had her son in the ambulance on the side of the Te Puke highway.

The Crown alleges Izett's "meth rage" led to him killing his daughter and assaulting three other people.

A pathologist will give evidence about Nevaeh having sustained severe multiple injuries caused by a weapon or weapons, including to her buttocks.

Maketū toddler Nevaeh Ager. Photo / File

Nevaeh also had injuries to her face and head, including her lips, ears and there were about eight to 10 blows. She also had neck injuries which indicated the "degree of force".

The Crown alleges after Izett assaulted his daughter he placed her naked body face-down in the water on mudflats and put two large boulders or rocks, with a combined weight of just under 80kg, on top of her and Nevaeh drowned.

But the defence has argued the Izett lacked the necessary murderous intent and also should be found not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of committing the acts.

Izett has also pleaded not guilty to three further charges - wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault and injuring with intent to injure.

The assault charge relates to Izett allegedly assaulting Nevaeh's great-grandfather, John Sturgess, on March 20, 2019, when he and his wife visited the address.

The other two charges relate to the alleged assaults of a police constable and Jacob Reid, a neighbour in Maketū, between March 18 and March 21 last year.

In the early hours of March 18 last year, Izett told the St John 111 operator to "get here now" and he was told to remain calm as an ambulance was on the way.

"If you don't get your s*** together, you know what will happen ... hurry up," he said.

Izett said during the call Alyson Ager was going to have a miscarriage if the ambulance did not arrive quickly. She was reassured by the operator she was doing well.

"I thought I was constipated but I have just started bleeding now, oh gosh, I'm trying to pack my bag as well," she told the call-taker.

Ager told Izett to shut up, because she was trying to talk to the operator and told him to go outside to wait for the ambulance as he was "stressing her out".

She could be heard repeatedly groaning loudly and breathing heavily.

Izett told St John that Ager was going to die if she "didn't get f****** here fast mate".

"I own, I own this company, I am the biggest president in New Zealand ... I am your company boss. What is your name and number. I will write that s*** down."

When the 111 operator asked how Alyson was doing, Izett repeatedly kept asking for her name, rank and number to enable him to take the matter higher up with her boss.

"I don't care, you are not listening. Don't give me f****** (inaudible) she's going to die if you don't hurry the f*** up."

Izett also said "Hey, I'm the best thing in New Zealand. Right? If anything goes wrong, she's ... I'm the national Hell's Angel ...

"Mate, I tell you there is no one higher than me, no one else in NZ and in the world ...
I'm a multimillionaire right ... I've got a million dollars mate, and I spent a million dollars' worth on TV and vehicles coming here to get stuff."

Ager told the court Izett was the father of both her children and they had started a relationship in March 2014.

She said their relationship was good at first, but once Izett's methamphetamine habit increased after moving to Tio Pl in September 2018, things were not so good.

Ager said Izett regularly used meth nearly every week, consuming it using a glass pipe
in a kitchen/dining area which he called the office. He also used cannabis.

She said Izett could be up for a couple of days after consuming meth, and he talked a lot and then crashed when he finally slept.

"He was fine if he wasn't on the meth and seemed normal to me."

Ager said when Izett was coming off the meth, he seemed "scattered, all over the place".

Izett was asking for money for meth weekly, and sometimes she would just give him her bank card to buy smokes and nappies, and he would also buy drugs, she said.

She said the day she went into labour with was the first time she had left Nevaeh in Izett's care, and by and large, she looked after Nevaeh and did most of the chores.

Ager said Nevaeh was sleeping when she left and it was the last time she saw her daughter, who was "perfectly fine" and she was a "good, normal and happy child".

"She was friendly and wasn't shy. I describe her as a social butterfly and anyone whose path she crossed, she put a smile on their face."

Ager said she tried to call Izett several times after having her son, but got no response.

"I thought I would see him and Neveah when I got home.

"When I saw the cops I jumped out of the car and ran towards the house but could not get close because of the cordon but when I saw all the people dressed in white I knew something bad had happened,'' she said.

Ager was cross-examined by the defence, and the trial continues tomorrow.