$25,000 reward for capture of Kahui twins' killer

A $25,000 reward is being offered to catch the killer of the Kahui twins.

The cash is being put up by Family First NZ for information or evidence leading to a conviction of any person responsible for the murder of the three month old Chris and Cru Kahui four years ago.

The twins died in Auckland's Starship Hospital in June 2006 five days after being admitted with severe brain injuries.

Their father Chris Kahui was later cleared of their murder and noone else has been charged over the killings.

"The Kahui twins were murdered almost four years ago yet nobody has been accountable for their deaths and no further action is being taken by the police or the coroner at this stage," Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family First NZ, said today.

"The police acknowledge that the closing of ranks by the families and the 'right to silence' and refusal to be interviewed had made the investigation incredibly difficult, with the Kahui family being referred to as the 'tight 12'.

"Yet we now have two victims of child abuse screaming for justice --where are their rights?"

Mr McCroskie said the twins' deaths should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet.

"New Zealanders want answers to this case -- who killed the twins, why did the prosecution fail, and what were the contributing factors to these murders that need to be tackled to avoid similar cases in the future?"

He said that Family First NZ, with the support of the Sensible Sentencing Trust and For the Sake of Our Children Trust, was hoping that the offer of a reward would be the incentive needed for the information to come out which led to a successful conviction.

"Somebody within the family knows what happened and who was responsible. It's time they cleared their conscience, came forward with the truth, and got a decent night's sleep for the first time in four years," Mr McCoskrie said.

"The country was shocked and revolted by this case and the accompanying issues of substance abuse, family breakdown, welfare dependency, neglect, and legal issues affecting the police's ability to solve the case.

"'Yet the message to child abusers has been that their rights will be given more weight than the rights of children to protection and justice.

"A reward of $25,000 will be a small price to pay for justice to be served for Chris and Cru who would and should have turned four years old next month."

- NZPA