Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Shane Claude Roberts denies the murder of baby Karlos Stephens

By Jill Nicholas
Rotorua Daily Post·
4 Nov, 2019 01:29 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Shane Claude Roberts is accused of the murder of baby Karlos Stephens. Photo / Stephen Parker

Shane Claude Roberts is accused of the murder of baby Karlos Stephens. Photo / Stephen Parker

Baby Karlos Stephens and his twin brother were born six weeks prematurely - 10 months later Karlos was dead from a massive brain bleed.

At the trial into his death the prosecution contends that bleed was caused when Shane Claude Roberts, 60, assaulted the infant while he was in his care at Rotorua at the end of November 2014.

Roberts pleaded not guilty to Karlos' murder when he went on trial in the High Court at Rotorua this morning.

Karlos Stephens, 10 months, died from head injuries in Rotorua in November 2014. Photo / File
Karlos Stephens, 10 months, died from head injuries in Rotorua in November 2014. Photo / File

Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon told the six men and six women on the jury that medical evidence established Karlos' injuries weren't consistent with a non-violent death.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The Crown says it is the defendant [Roberts] who assaulted the 10-month-old and he did so regardless of whether Karlos would die or not and is therefore guilty of his murder," Gordon submitted.

She emphasised it was not known exactly how the injuries were inflicted.

She outlined how Karlos' mother Pamela Stephens, who also had a 4-year-old son and three older boys, struggled to cope with her newborn twins.

Tipu Ora believed she was suffering from post-natal depression.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Roberts, whom Stephens met some months earlier, offered to help her with the twins, assisted by his ex wife, also the mother of twins.

"That caused her some relief to get back on her feet," Gordon said.

In July 2014 both became the twins' principal caregivers, Roberts referred to himself as the boys' father and also told some people he was her biological father, which was untrue.

Roberts was living in Alison St, but spent a lot of time with the twins at his former partners' Homedale St home.

Discover more

Humming behind Rotorua's noisiest streets

30 Nov 02:25 AM
New Zealand|crime

Mother testifies in alleged murder case of her baby

04 Nov 05:21 AM
New Zealand

Murder trial: Accused offered to give twins away

06 Nov 01:10 AM
New Zealand|crime

Jury retires for weekend in Shane Claude Roberts murder trial in Rotorua

08 Nov 01:16 AM

Gordon described how Robert's ex wife went to Christchurch for her daughter's graduation leaving him in charge of the twins.

At Robert's invitation their mother was staying at Alison St which had no power – when her cell phone went flat she had no means of recharging it.

The jury would hear that when Roberts brought the babies to Alison St on the afternoon of November 29, 2014, Karlos was grizzly and clingy and Stephens asked Roberts to take him to a doctor. He said he'd take him to Lakes Care after he'd been to see someone, Gordon contended.

Roberts didn't return until 7.30am the following day, arriving in a flurry and banging on the door saying Karlos wasn't breathing.

There was what Gordon described as a "heated discussion".

She wanted to take the child straight to hospital but Roberts wanted to call an ambulance.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Stephens' wishes prevailed and en route to the hospital she cradled him in her arms.

"She was willing him to live." Gordon said.

Emergency staff were unable to revive Karlos who had no obvious signs of injury. A post mortem the next day found bleeding across the surface of his brain, he also had extensive eye bleeding.

"He ultimately died from a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain," Gordon said.

Roberts was arrested in July 2018.

The trial, which is before Justice Matthew Muir, is set down for two weeks. The Crown is to present evidence from 36 witnesses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Arrests for dangerous driving during funeral procession

Rotorua Daily Post

Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation

Premium
Rotorua Daily Post

'Hiding from the council': Rotorua's secret pod shelter for homeless


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Arrests for dangerous driving during funeral procession
Rotorua Daily Post

Arrests for dangerous driving during funeral procession

Three people were charged with failing to stop and dangerous driving.

16 Jul 04:47 AM
Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation
Rotorua Daily Post

Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation

15 Jul 10:57 PM
Premium
Premium
'Hiding from the council': Rotorua's secret pod shelter for homeless
Rotorua Daily Post

'Hiding from the council': Rotorua's secret pod shelter for homeless

15 Jul 09:44 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP