Mother charged with abuse, cruelty to baby

A mother who faces a number of cruelty and abuse charges involving her baby took the youngster to a Samoan healer because he would not stop crying, the Auckland District Court heard yesterday.

Vaalele Faalogo, aged 34, of West Auckland, has pleaded not guilty to four charges involving her son.

These are endangering the child's life by neglecting to provide the necessities of food and nutrition, wilful ill-treatment in a manner to cause unnecessary suffering, and two charges of grievous bodily harm.

At yesterday's depositions hearing before two justices of the peace, Faalogo was committed to the High Court at Auckland for trial.

The boy's name remains suppressed.

The court earlier heard that the youngster was just under one year old when he was admitted to Auckland's Starship children's hospital in October 1997.

The clinical leader of the Starship's child abuse unit, Dr Patrick Kelly, said the boy was suffering from "Third World" malnutrition and his head and body were covered in multiple fractures, some of which were "exclusive to the so-called shaken-baby syndrome," when he was admitted.

Yesterday, Sioliula Televave said that a couple of weeks before the child was admitted to Starship she took Faalogo and the baby to a Samoan healer in Manurewa. The healer was her suggestion because the child cried continuously and did not look well, Mrs Televave said.

Faalogo, her partner Pisa Misimoa and their baby moved in with Mrs Televave and her five children in Mt Albert early in 1997. Mr Misimoa moved out around June but Faalogo and the baby remained living there until the child was admitted to hospital.

Mrs Televave said Faalogo and her son stayed with the healer for about three nights.

Faalogo told her the healer said the boy had "akiloko," which the Samoan court interpreter described as a disease, like an ulcer, inside the boy's stomach. The child was treated with a potion made from leaves crushed in oil and massaged on his naked body.

Cross-examined by defence lawyer Anthony Rogers, Mrs Televave said she had never seen Faalogo smack, hit or shake her son.

Mrs Televave earlier said that one day when Faalogo was bathing the boy he was crying. However, this time it was different, "like screaming," Mrs Televave said.

"When I heard the screaming, I called her and I said why the baby is crying?

"She said: 'I think the poor boy felt like the bones to his bottom felt like they were broken."

Mrs Televave said she asked Faalogo why, if she was angry with her (Mrs Televave), did she treat her son like that. Faalogo had not replied.

The hearing began in September but was adjourned after two days and resumed this week.

Herald Online feature: Violence at home

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