Accused denies serious injuries to baby girl

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 16

Accused denies serious injuries to baby girl

PA Auckland A transexual accused of injuring a baby told the High Court in Auckland that she had sometimes smacked and yelled at her, but was not responsible for the serious injuries which led to the child’s admission to hospital. Jonathon Craig Ross, now known as Marianne Siousxie Komene, aged 26, a sickness beneficiary, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm to the child with reckless disregard for her safety.

Komene faces an alternative charge that, with intent to injure the child, she caused her grievous bodily harm.

She has also been charged that, being a person having custody or control of the child, she wilfully ill-treated her. Komene has pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

Detective Patrick Keir testified that Komene told him she had shaken or hit the child several times be-

fore the baby was taken to hospital on March 13. Komene said that on March 10 she had shaken the baby “full force” until it stopped screaming, said Detective Keir.

Two days later when the baby was getting on Komene’s nerves, the defendant hit her with a fly swat a couple of times, he said. Later that day Komene had lost her temper with the baby and “whacked her on the small of the back quite hard.”

Detective Keir. said Komene had told him: “Looking back now, I don’t really know whether hitting the baby like I had should have been done, but you have to discipline kids don’t you?” Opening the defence case, Mr Geoff Wells said the accused contended she was not responsible for the baby’s injuries. In evidence Komene said she had moved in with Veronica Morrison, another transexual, about six or seven weeks before the' al-

leged offences. Mrs Morrison was given a baby to look after in February and the pair shared the care of the child. Komene said she had a stormy “love-hate” relationship with Mrs Morrison.

It was like a motherdaughter relationship, with Mrs Morrison the mother and herself the daughter, said Komene. She said Mrs Morrison had told her what to say to the police. “I made those statements

out of loyalty to her,” said Komene. ”1 did care very much for her.” The statement made to the police was false, she said.

When the child was naughty she used to yell at her or smack her with an open hand. She never hit her with anything other than her hand and never shook her. The trial before Mr Justice Chilwell and a jury is expected to end today.