Latest news with #MalachiSubecz
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Malachi Subecz inquest: Cousin tells of efforts to rescue boy from abusive caregiver
Malachi Subecz died after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his carer. Photo: Supplied The cousin of murdered five-year-old Malachi Subecz has detailed her efforts to rescue the young boy from his abusive caregiver. A coronial inquest into the boy's death continued Tuesday with evidence from his adult cousin Megan Cotter. Malachi Subecz had been placed in the care of Michaela Barriball in Tauranga after the boy's mother Jasmine Cotter was sent to prison. But this raised alarm bells for Cotter's family, who knew Barriball as the daughter of Cotter's co-accused. "My main concern was the fact that Michaela was the co-accused's daughter and there was speculation that Malachi was being used as leverage or blackmail to try and stop Jas giving evidence against [Barriball's mother]," Megan Cotter said. Megan, who lived in Wellington, made a report of concern to Oranga Tamariki and contacted Jasmine the next day. "I pretty much told her we were terrified for Malachi's safety and if it turns nasty in court that he could be in danger. Jas responded saying 'they're my friends,' I told her 'they're not your friends and that's why you're in jail and they're out here laughing with your child'." Megan Cotter began to suspect her cousin was in danger and started gathering evidence. "On the 26th of June 2021 I received three photographs of Malachi from Michaela via Facebook Messenger after I had asked, pretending, that I wanted to see how his eye was after the eye surgery he had back in October 2020," she explained. "When I got the photos, I was looking for any injuries or anything to be concerned about. I thought he had a bit of a black eye and possibly a fat lip." She said it was unlike Malachi to injure himself. "He wasn't a daredevil-type child, he wouldn't even climb up the ladder for the bunk beds at my house because he was too scared," she said. But those photographs were not enough for Oranga Tamariki to act. "On the 28th of June 2021, I sent the photos of Malachi's face to OT after speaking to them on the phone and telling them I had concerns," she recounted. "Between that date and the 30th of July 2021, I was contacted by OT who told me the investigation wasn't going to go any further." Megan Cotter searched for bruises on Malachi when they next met. "Michaela and Malachi came down to Wellington and stayed at my address because Malachi had a follow-up eye appointment… I had a bag of clothing at my house for Malachi so when he came to stay, I got him to try on some of the clothes," she said. "This was an excuse to look over his body while he was getting dressed to see if there was anything to keep him there with me and stop Michaela taking him back. All there was was teeny bruises on his shins and nothing I was concerned about." Megan Cotter then tried to convince Michaela to return Malachi to his family. "At one point I had said to Michaela that Malachi's supposed father was going to come to court if Malachi wasn't with family," she said. "I was just bluffing to try and get Michaela to bring Malachi down here to me." Despite Megan Cotter's efforts, Michaela retained custody of Malachi until his hospitalisation and eventual death in November of 2021. "Learning about Malachi being admitted to hospital and transferred to Starship was one of the most devastating experiences I had in my life. My worst fears were realised, I knew immediately Michaela was responsible," she said. "I cannot put into words all the emotions I experienced. I had told Jasmine, police, Oranga Tamariki, the lawyer for child, the family court, Jasmine's family, criminal lawyers and the Tauranga District Court that Malachi was not safe and should not be in Michaela's care." She hoped the inquest could make recommendations that would prevent similar deaths in the future. "I want there to be some positive from Malachi's death, I do not want to read [about] another child dying while their parent goes into custody," she said. "I consider this might not have happened if there was a system in place for making sure enquiries were made with family of the person charged who has the sole care of dependent children before a person is remanded in custody." The lawyer assisting the coroner, Vivienne Crawshaw, noted Megan had been "incredibly persistent" in her attempts to save her cousin. "I've listed here that over a three-day period you made 10 attempts to alert the authorities," she said. "And none of those contacts [made you] feel heard, is that right?" "Yes," Megan Cotter responded. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Malachi Subecz inquest begins
Malachi Subecz. Photo: Supplied The inquest into the death of a five-year-old who was killed by his carer has begun with hearing evidence about the injuries he suffered. Malachi Subecz died at Starship Hospital in 2021. He was being looked after by Michaela Barriball near Tauranga while his mother was in prison, and Barriball was later convicted of his murder. At the Auckland Coroner's Court on Monday, Police Detective Inspector Craig Rawlinson, who was responsible for investigating the death, expressed condolences to Malachi's mother, Jasmine Cotter, and cousin, Megan, who would speak as part of the inquest. "It's terrible what they've had to go through," he said. "I want to acknowledge the strength they've shown over the past three and a half years being a voice for Malachi, making sure that he's not forgotten and doing everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again." Detective Inspector Rawlinson warned that the evidence he would share was distressing and confronting. "It's important to hear Malachi's story for what it is and understand the circumstances that he found himself in so we can move forward, take the lessons learned, make things better, and prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. More to come..
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Murdered by his carer: Inquest into death of 5-year-old Malachi Subecz starts today
Malachi Subecz died after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his carer. Photo: Supplied An inquest into the death of a 5-year-old who was killed by his carer in 2021 is due to get underway today. Malachi Subecz died in Auckland's Starship hospital in November 2021, after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his carer Michaela Barriball. She had been looking after Malachi while his mother was in prison, and was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for his murder. Barriball had pleaded guilty to murder as well as charges of ill treatment of a child and injuring with intent to injure. The inquest is expected to look at what steps were taken to ensure Malachi's safety and well-being, whether government agencies acted sufficiently, and whether mandatory reporting of injuries could reduce the likelihood of similar deaths happening in future. It was also set to examine if information sharing systems between the relevant government agencies played a part in the child's death and whether matters arising from evidence obtained during the course of the inquiry or given at the inquest, that be used as the basis of recommendations that could assist in preventing further deaths occurring in similar circumstances in the future. The Inquest was expected to begin on Monday morning. A report following Malachi's death found at-risk children were no safer in 2024 than they were before a series of recommendations in the wake of his death. The assessment came in a follow-up report by the Aroturuki Tamariki the Independent Children's Monitor into whether the system had improved since the Bay of Plenty boy's murder. After his death, a review by Dame Karen Poutasi was commissioned and six government agencies reviewed their work. However, the report, called 'Working towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children', stated: "We are not confident that tamariki in similar situations to Malachi are any more likely to be seen, or kept safe by the system, than they were when Malachi died." [ In a statement] released by the Department of Corrections on her behalf, Malachi's mother said she hoped no other parent in prison would ever face losing a child the way she did. "All I hope to come from this is this does not happen to other parents doing a lag who have kids," she said. She said she lived with her mistakes every single day, and bitterly regretted trusting a non-family member with her son. "Do not trust anyone with your kids who aren't family. A harsh lesson I've learnt in the worst possible way." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
