Crown witness in Maketū murder trial says accused was 'pretty mad and stupid'

Aaron George Izett is on trial in the Rotorua High Court for murdering his daughter. Photo / File

The father of a man allegedly assaulted by Maketū murder accused Aaron George Izett days before 2-year-old Nevaeh Ager died has told a court that the accused was "pretty mad and stupid".

Norman Reid made the comment while giving evidence in the Rotorua High Court today when asked by Crown prosecutor Kieran Raftery QC to describe Izett's general demeanour when he had contact with him.

Reid is the father of Jacob Reid, who has alleged Izett whacked him on the back of his neck with some kind of sharp weapon on March 18, 2019.

Izett, 38, is on trial defending a charge of murdering his 2-year-old daughter Nevaeh Jahkaya Whatukura Ager at Little Waihi, Maketū between March 20 and 21 last year.

Izett has not denied causing the fatal injuries but denied he meant to kill his daughter, whose body was found by police face down on the tidal flats on March 21, 2019.

He is also defending charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, injuring with intent to injure and assault, which relate to two civilians and a police officer.

The wounding charge relates to Jacob Reid.

Several Little Waihi residents, including Jacob Reid's father, have given evidence today about the days and months leading up to Nevaeh's death.

Raftery QC has also asked them to describe Izett's general behaviour and demeanour.

Norman Reid said he would characterise Izett as "pretty mad and stupid".

"When Aaron spoke to you he was in a different world and you couldn't understand him."

Reid said his conversations with Izett involved him speaking "gibberish" most of the time.

"Aaron just drunk and raved when he came around to visit Jacob," he said.

Defence lawyer Julie-Anne Kincade QC put it to Reid that his comment about Izett speaking gibberish could have been him speaking in Māori.

Reid responded, "not really".

Aaron George Izett is on trial in the Rotorua High Court for murdering his daughter, Nevaeh Jahkaya Whatukura Ager. Photo / File

He told the court he had not spoken to Izett about his son's neck injury.

Clement Tapsell, Izett's second cousin and who also lives in Little Waihi, said Izett's behaviour was odd.

Tapsell said his impression was that Izett's behaviour was "a bit strange" before the events of March 20 last year.

"I thought it was strange. He had a fast way of moving and talking and it was strange ...

"Aaron was erratic in the way he spoke and he had a lot of deepness in him when he spoke especially about family matters ... but he was always very respectful to me."

Tapsell said Izett would regularly be seen out in the estuary near the Tio Pl home near a totem pole he placed in the water chanting in Māori.

"He would do it regularly ... doing his dancing and splashing water over himself and the pole, I couldn't hear plainly the words but it was definitely in Māori."

The Crown alleges Izett's "meth rage" led to him killing his daughter and assaulting the three other people between March 18 and March 21, 2019.

Crown solicitor Anna Pollett earlier said the toddler was the victim of "assault, on assault, on assault" by her father before she was drowned.

A pathologist will give evidence that Nevaeh had suffered severe multiple injuries to her body caused by a weapon or weapons.

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

The Crown said after the assaults Izett put Nevaeh's body face down on mudflats in Little Waihi estuary, then placed two large rocks on top of her and she drowned.

Izett is also defending charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, injuring with intent to injure and assault, which relate to two civilians and a police officer.

Dr Jeremy Wild, a Tauranga Hospital surgical registrar gave evidence about the neck injury suffered by Jacob Reid, who he said underwent surgery and was discharged the next day.

Reid has sustained a deep but clean 10cm long laceration to the back of the neck consistent with a sharp weapon possible a knife or a blade, he said.

Wild said the wound had "clean edges" consistent with a sharp blade and was made with sufficient force to cause the deep laceration.

Reid had told him that he fell over in a construction yard and fallen on to something sharp, the doctor said.

But Reid's explanation was inconsistent with his assessment, Dr Wild said.

Under questioning by Kincade QC, Wild conceded that hospital notes showed Jacob Reid had given a number of different explanations for his injury.

This included falling over near a house and hitting the back of his neck, tripping over some building rubble and firmly denied he had been attacked, the court heard.

Asked whether Reid had reported falling on garden shears, Wild said he had not.

"No, he did not," Wild said.

Yesterday, John Sturgess, the great-grandfather of the deceased, said Izett's behaviour was erratic and he was "off his face most of the time".

The day before the body of the Maketū toddler was found, her great-grandparents said they had planned to uplift the girl from her "erratic" father and take her to her mother.

Alyson Ager, Izett's former partner, was in Tauranga Hospital having given birth to the couple's second child. Their son was born two days earlier on March 18.

Sturgess said when he and his wife visited the Tio Pl home on March 20, 2019,
Izett did not want them to take Nevaeh to the hospital and told them to "f*** off".

"Nevaeh was nicely dressed and cheerful. I did not think Aaron would hurt that kid."

The trial continues.