Kahui uncle denies making threat

Chris and Cru Kahui. Photo / Supplied

An uncle of Chris and Cru Kahui today denied threatening that "somebody would get a bullet" if they talked to police about what happened on the night the three-month-old twins suffered their fatal injuries.

Pou Hepi was giving evidence at the Auckland inquest into the 2006 deaths from severe head injuries of the boys in Auckland's Starship Hospital.

Chris Wilkinson-Smith, lawyer for the twins' father, Chris Kahui, who was acquitted of their murder, asked Mr Hepi about a threat received by Mr Kahui's brother-in-law Stuart King whose sister Macsyna was the children's mother.

Mr Hepi is a convicted methamphetamine dealer and has previous convictions for possessing firearms, the inquest was told.

"If a threat was made that somebody would get a bullet, isn't it obvious that you would be the person backing up that threat?" Mr Wilkinson-Smith asked Mr Hepi.

He denied that was the case, and he also denied he was trying to stifle people from speaking to police.

Police lawyer Simon Mount objected to the line of questioning.

"Mr King did not at any stage say he was threatened. He said he was not fazed by any threats," Mr Mount said.

Counsel assisting the court, Chris Morris, also objected and said Stuart King was not asked about these threats when he appeared at the inquest as a witness earlier this week.

Coroner Garry Evans told Mr Wilkinson-Smith there was no evidence of threats being made by anyone.

Mr Wilkinson-Smith said Stuart King accepted that a comment about the threat was made by Macsyna King.

"You would have to consider the position Stuart King was in. His partner went to police to tell them about the threat," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

But Mr Mount said there was no evidence to connect Mr Hepi to threats made against Stuart King.

Mr Wilkinson-Smith accused Mr Hepi of making himself scarce when he was supposed to be giving evidence during the 2008 trial.

"You're somebody who operates on the other side of the law, and you're not concerned with getting to the truth of the matter.

"You went into hiding so you wouldn't have to go to court," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

Mr Hepi said that was not true.

"You did not care about the consequences. Going to jail or being fined didn't frighten you, rather than give evidence which might help the defence or hurt your family," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

Earlier today, Mr Hepi said he could not remember details of his movements and the whereabouts of his wife Emily and her sister Macsyna King on the night the twins received their fatal injuries. Mr Hepi's wife Emily and Ms King have previously said that they were in west Auckland the night the twins were injured.

"Unless you, Macsyna or Emily tells us the truth about what you were doing that night, we're never going to know what really happened," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

Mr Hepi said he was telling the truth.

Mr Wilkinson-Smith suggested Mr Hepi had not been accurate in his police statement, which he made on June 30, 2006.

"I'm suggesting you're an uncle who had close contact with the twins as you lived in the same house and you knew they'd had breathing problems. You were right at the heart of this from day one," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

He referred to a document of new cellphone records, not available during the trial, which showed numerous calls made by Mr Hepi to his wife Emily, which showed she and Ms King were in the area of the Kahui family home in Mangere, south Auckland.

"You were deliberately lying to police about your movements as well as your wife and Macsyna's movements," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.

"You did that because you wanted to hide what their real movements were."

"I can't even remember my kids' birthdays, let alone what happened that particular night," Mr Hepi said.

Chris Kahui was found not guilty in 2008 of the twins' murders, his legal team blaming the deaths on Macsyna King.

She has vehemently denied the claims.

The inquest was adjourned until November 1.

- NZPA