Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Kaitaia mum killed by blunt force: Expert

Imran Ali
Northern Advocate·
4 Sep, 2015 07:46 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

A Kaitaia mother run over twice by a car driven by her partner died from multiple blunt force injuries, a pathologist has told a High Court jury.

Dr Joanne Glengarry, a forensic pathologist at the Auckland City Hospital, conducted an autopsy on Georgina Manuel on August 22, 2013 - a day after she died at Whangarei Hospital from injuries sustained the previous night.

Ms Manuel's partner, Viliami Fungavaka, 47, is on trial in the High Court at Whangarei charged with murdering her using his car during a roadside argument on Pukepoto Rd in Kaitaia on the night of August 20, 2013. Fungavaka has denied the charge, saying what happened to Ms Manuel was an accident.

Dr Glengarry was called before the jury as a Crown witness yesterday.

Before she took the stand, Justice John Faire advised the jury they would receive photos from the post-mortem examination which would show various external injuries suffered by Ms Manuel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said the photos were provided so the jury could understand the injuries and cautioned them not to be influenced by prejudice when looking at the pictures.

As part of the photo booklet, Dr Glengarry also provided the diagram of a full adult body and marked areas where Ms Manuel suffered fractures to her body.

She said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Blunt force injuries, she explained, were those that resulted from an impact with something solid such as a punch or a baseball bat. She could not say which particular injury may have resulted in her death.

Injuries to the brain, abdomen, or liver alone could cause death regardless of the presence of other injuries, she said.

Dr Glengarry said injuries to lungs and ribs could also cause death - although not immediate, but after complications or infections.

Purple discolouration on top of an eyelid, she said, indicated damage to bones around that area.

Discover more

New Zealand

Murder accused says it was manslaughter

17 Sep 12:24 AM

She said Ms Manuel suffered extensive bruising to her skull. Her brain suffered non-survival injuries that were at the severe end of the spectrum.

Her brain was so swollen it could not take any blood or oxygen.

Such serious injuries, Dr Glengarry said, would cause spontaneous unconsciousness.

The trial continues on Monday.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Children claim they were 'denied food, beaten and abandoned' by Oranga Tamariki caregivers

20 Jan 06:00 AM
Live
Northern Advocate

'Please look out': Residents warned to prepare ahead of incoming tropical low

20 Jan 04:46 AM
Northern Advocate

Cape Brett hut airlift and slips force DoC closures in peak summer period

20 Jan 04:00 AM

Sponsored

Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 

15 Jan 12:33 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Children claim they were 'denied food, beaten and abandoned' by Oranga Tamariki caregivers
Northern Advocate

Children claim they were 'denied food, beaten and abandoned' by Oranga Tamariki caregivers

A trio is now on trial, on multiple charges, after two children alleged years of abuse.

20 Jan 06:00 AM
'Please look out': Residents warned to prepare ahead of incoming tropical low
Live
Northern Advocate

'Please look out': Residents warned to prepare ahead of incoming tropical low

20 Jan 04:46 AM
Cape Brett hut airlift and slips force DoC closures in peak summer period
Northern Advocate

Cape Brett hut airlift and slips force DoC closures in peak summer period

20 Jan 04:00 AM


Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 
Sponsored

Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 

15 Jan 12:33 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP