'Nobody noticed there was something wrong'

American paediatric professor Carole Jenny. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A medical expert has criticised Chris Kahui for not taking his twins straight to hospital after one of them stopped breathing.

Professor Carole Jenny, from Brown University in Rhode Island State, said the babies would have had a better chance of surviving if their father had swiftly sought medical attention.

Mr Kahui had performed CPR on Cru after finding him with blue lips. But he did not take the twins to hospital until the next day.

This could have made a huge difference in their chance for survival, she said.

Professor Jenny was one of four pathology and paediatrics specialists giving evidence at the inquest into the deaths of the twins when it resumed in Auckland yesterday after a break of seven months.

The twins died of severe head injuries in Auckland's Starship hospital in 2006 and their father, Chris Kahui, was acquitted of their murders in May 2008.

His defence claimed the injuries were caused by their mother, Macsyna King, who denied the killings.

Professor Jenny told the inquest that the twins had difficulty feeding, which would indicate they had suffered brain damage.

She was horrified nobody had noticed Cru's leg fracture, which would have caused him intense pain.

"Cru had tears in the cortex of his brain, and I can't imagine he would have been able to feed. He would not have cried normally either.

"Nobody noticed there was something horribly wrong as his leg was displaced," she said.

Both twins also showed signs of dehydration when they died, she added.

Professor Jenny said she found it mystifying that nobody seemed concerned the twins had not eaten for hours.

She said any baby who did not wake to feed in 12 to 15 hours should have alarmed their caregiver.

Another expert, Dr Patrick Kelly from Starship, told the inquest the twins died of severe head injuries which were not accidental.

"Both twins were likely slammed against something. Their brain injuries were so severe they would have both collapsed into unconsciousness very soon after," he said.

The effect of the injuries on both twins would have been immediate and obvious, although he did not know if they were injured at the same time.

Coroner Garry Evans is expected to hear more evidence this week from family members and child abuse experts.

- NZPA