Photo: Public Domain
The mother of a baby found unresponsive in a South Auckland home has described her broken relationship, drug use, and the day her son died, before a Coroner’s inquest on Wednesday.
Ten-month-old Poseidyn Hemopo-Pickering was rushed to Middlemore Hospital and later moved to Starship Children’s Hospital on the evening of 5 September, 2020.
He died a few hours later.
His father, Anthony Simon Pickering, was acquitted of murdering his son in 2022 after a jury trial, and no one has been held responsible for his death.
The purpose of the coronial inquiry is to determine how Poseidyn died and the circumstances surrounding his death, not criminal or civil liability.
Today, the Coroner heard from Poseidyn’s mother, Filoi Huakau, who told the court she had a fractured relationship with Poseidyn’s father, who was also present.
She said the couple domestically abused one another.
“I would say we were like showponies, we would smile for the camera but we had a lot of brokenness between us behind closed doors,” Huakau said.
“We lacked the ability to communicate properly with one another, and there was barely any affections between us.”
She also told the court about an ongoing relationship she had with Pickering’s nephew, which he later discovered.
“He was angry about it, and we fought a lot more after he found out…” she said.
“Things also increasingly became physical.”
Huakau said the pair were heavy methamphetamine users. Her meth use continued while she was pregnant with Poseidyn.
She had said Poseidyn’s parentage was a point of debate and argument for the pair, and that it was only confirmed after his death that Pickering was in fact his biological father.
It was a miracle he had been born healthy, she said, given how much she was using and how little she was eating.
She told the court she had previously given mixed accounts to police of what happened, saying the account given on Wednesday would clear the air.
“Every time that I provided a statement, my head was in a scramble.
“What happened back then, and some of the things I said, no longer sit right with me.”
Huakau said she did not know why she lied to police.
“It is really hard to explain why I lied about certain things, but I was honestly fried, in almost every single statement that I gave,” she said.
“I know it looks like I was probably trying to cover up the truth, but to be completely honest I didn’t even know the truth, I suppose I was really just trying to find a way to justify what happened to myself.”
Huakau paused several times while giving evidence to collect herself, wiping her face with tissues.
She recalled being in the hospital with Poseidyn, and Pickering suddenly mentioning for the first time that the baby had hit his head on the window sill while his mother was out.
Poseidyn had suffered a blood clot and a fracture.
“I screamed at Simon and said, ‘why the F didn’t you say something’, he said he had only just remembered it now,” Huakau said.
“All I remember is just crying.”
She spoke about a family hui following Poseidyn’s death, in which she and Pickering were told one of them would need to take the blame for their child’s death, and that it needed to be Pickering.
‘Your lowest low’
Later in the day, Huakau was questioned by her lawyer Kima Tuialii, who acknowledged the loss she had suffered.
“We all know that you’re sitting where ideally no mother or parent should ever have to sit, before a Coroner in a court, trying to understand what’s happened to their baby.”
She commented on Huakau’s journey to recovery.
“We’ve spoken about really your lowest low, and some of your deepest hurts,” Tuialii said.
“The way you’ve turned things around have been nothing short of remarkable, and I think that everybody in this room would agree with that.”
She asked Huakau if she believed she could have done better.
“Absolutely,” Huakau said.
“I do acknowledge that my kids were neglected, I do believe that they deserved a lot more than what they did get.”
Tuialii asked if she ever hurt Poseidyn.
“Never,” Huakau said.
Questions from counsel
Huakau was later questioned by Lily Nunweek, the counsel assisting the Coroner.
She asked about her relationship with Pickering, and how it had worsened close to the time of Poseidyn’s death.
“What did that look like? More arguing?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Huakau said.
“More violence?” Nunweek asked, to which she also responded yes.
Nunweek questioned Huakau’s fear of leaving Poseidyn alone with his father.
“I guess I’m trying to understand what worried you so much that you didn’t want to share that load of responsibility with Simon?” she said.
“I think that goes back to intuition,” Huakau replied.
“It seems to me like that was based on a fear that you had about Poseidyn being with Simon, would that be accurate?” Nunweek said, which Huakau accepted.
In the aftermath of Poseidyn’s death, Huakau said she still loved Pickering.
“I was just a young girl in love at the time,” she said.
She said her son’s death could have been prevented if things were “very different”.
“We were all broken, it was a broken household.”
In the afternoon, Pickering’s lawyer, Kingi Snelgar, asked about the lies she had told in previous accounts of her story.
“Some of the lies that you’ve said in the past, is that because you wanted to be seen as a good mother?” he asked.
“Not so much seen,” Huakau said, “I think I didn’t want to be judged”.
He asked if concerns about being judged as a bad mother had influenced what she told the court on Wednesday. She said no.
She accepted that drug use impacted the dynamic between her and Pickering.
Huakau was asked by Snelgar if she had drank or used drugs on the day Poseidyn was taken to hospital. She said that was not the case.
He asked about Pickering’s High Court murder trial, in which she was questioned on how her account could be relied on.
In that instance, she had said that she was there to tell the truth.
“Is that same answer that you would give today?” Snelgar asked.
“That will always be the answer,” Huakau replied.
To finish the day, Counsel representing Oranga Tamariki, Adam Lewis, asked about an incident where social workers were called to the house after an anonymous report.
She recalled the surprise visit, as well as closing the door on the staff.
It was her evidence that nothing happened after that visit, Lewis said, but he went on to ask about a call recorded on 2 September, and another the following day.
She said she did not remember either phone call.
Hoping for peace
Finishing her evidence, Huakau read a note, saying after her son died, her life shattered.
Huakau said she was five years and 12 months sober, and looking back she could see how delusional she was for thinking just having her children around made her a good parent.
“I never allowed myself to process the loss of Poseidyn,” she said.
“Nor did I give myself the time to just grieve.”
In her own words, Huakau said she ignored her emotions, became numb, and spiralled out of control.
“Being present today gave me the opportunity to speak so clear mindedly on my truth.
“This inquest won’t give closure, but I’m hoping for peace, and not for anyone here, not even for myself, but peace for Poseidyn, so he can be at peace and so he can finally rest.”
The inquest continues on Thursday.
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