Nation follows trial over death of Mangawhai toddler

 

BY JULIA WADE

The ongoing trial at Auckland’s High Court into the tragic death of Mangawhai toddler Ariah Dawn Roberts concluded its second week on August 31.

Beginning on August 19 and set for three weeks, the trial has so far seen the Crown present its case that on the evening of August 22 2018 Aaron Archer, Ariah’s mother’s partner at the time, attacked the two-year-old in the 15 minutes she was at home with him while her mother went to a local store for dinner ingredients. 

Ariah died of acute brain injury, however Archer has pleaded not guilty to murder as he says the injuries were accidental, caused after the girl’s head hit a wall as he either swung the child around or by throwing her in the air while playing.

Experts who have testified – including a forensic pathologist who completed Ariah's autopsy – stated the girls head had 20 bruises around her head when she died, blunt force injuries comparable to being hit with a cricket bat or falling from a multi-storey height. 

Ariah’s mother also took the stand in the second week, describing the tragic day when her daughter died and stating she had seen Archer playfully swing Ariah around before and they seemed to get along fine.

The trial is set to continue into its third week on September 2. 

Two-year-old Ariah Roberts died of traumatic brain injuries.