KEY POINTS:
The grandfather of baby Cru Kahui was more concerned with finding the child's mother than calling an ambulance in the moments after the infant's breathing stopped.
William "Banjo" Kahui yesterday told a Manukau District Court depositions hearing he was that "pissed off" after the 3-month-old stopped breathing "I
just wanted to go find Macsyna [King, the mother]."
Mr Kahui was giving evidence at a hearing that will decide whether the boy's father, Chris Sonny Kahui, is to stand trial on murder charges.
Cru and his twin brother Chris Kahui were admitted to Auckland's Starship hospital on June 13 last year - the day after Cru stopped breathing.
Their injuries included brain haemorrhages, broken bones and retinal bleeding. Both boys died, hours apart, five days later.
Kahui, 22, is accused of murdering the boys while Ms King was away from the house. He denies the allegations.
Banjo Kahui said yesterday he was angry that Ms King, the primary caregiver, was out when Cru took ill.
Banjo Kahui was present when Cru stopped breathing, but he said the infant recovered quickly after Chris Kahui applied mouth-to-mouth.
Banjo said he was not sure if his son was treating the boy correctly, but the child rallied quickly and appeared fine by the time he saw him.
No ambulance was called, but he and his daughter, Mona Kahui, left the house after Cru improved to find Ms King. They failed to locate her.
Banjo Kahui told the court about arguing with the accused about Ms King's whereabouts just minutes before Cru's breathing failed.
The conversation centred around "How come Macsyna is not here, because she is always here?"
"I asked him if they were fighting or something like that because it was unusual for her not to be there. He kept telling me everything was all right ... that she was just taking a break."
Earlier yesterday, Kahui relatives told the court everything appeared normal at the Kahuis' Mangere house the day before the boys were rushed to hospital.
Shane Saunders told prosecutor Richard Marchant he and his partner, April Saunders - Chris Kahui's first cousin - had called around to the home on the morning of June 12 last year. Mrs Saunders had fed one of the twins, who had appeared fine.
However, Mr Saunders said he was visited the next morning by Banjo Kahui, who told him Cru had stopped breathing the previous evening.
"I asked him if he had rung an ambulance ... He said no. I asked him why, and he responded that when the baby stopped breathing, he gave some compressions on the baby's chest, and the baby started breathing normally again."
The hearing, before Judge Roy Wade, will continue on Monday.
