Sela Ikamanu cradled her sleeping baby as she vowed to stick by her husband who killed their two-year-old daughter by throwing her against a wall before shattering her pelvis by stomping on her.
The mother of four said she has forgiven Kefu Ikamanu who was yesterday (Fri) sentenced at the High Court at Auckland to six years and nine months in prison for the manslaughter of their eldest daughter, Seini.
Sela described Ikamanu as a good husband and father who had never been violent to her or their children.
"If I knew he was [violent] I would have left him a long time ago. He is a good man."
The court heard how Ikamanu was looking after Seini and her younger brother on March 24, 2010, while Sela went to work.
Ikamanu was watching TV while Seini and her brother were playing noisily close-by.
Justice Geoffrey Venning said Ikamanu asked the pair to stop.
"Seini ignored your request and just looked at you. She continued to run around and you became angry with her."
Ikamanu grabbed the two-year-old and swung her in front of him before letting her go. "She was propelled into the wall."
But Ikamanu didn't stop there. He walked over to where Seini lay on the floor and stomped on her pelvis.
Seini was left with a fractured shoulder, shattered pelvis and head injuries that would prove fatal.
Ikamanu took the girl to the shower and tried to get her to drink water but the damage was done. Seini was having seizures. Ambulance officers first on the scene told Ikamanu's trial that the little girl "flopped like a ragdoll".
Seini was rushed to hospital where doctors later found she was bleeding in the left-side of her skull, which pushed her brain to one side of her head.
Only her brain stem was functioning and despite surgery, she remained in a coma until her death some eight months later.
Crown prosecutor Phil Hamlin had argued at trial that bruises found on Seini in the days leading up to the attack had been caused by Ikamanu, despite the girl telling her mother that she fell down the stairs.
But at sentencing yesterday, Justice Venning said he did not find the bruises were caused by Ikamanu and described his violent reaction as a "one-off" borne out of frustration.
He took into account Ikamanu's remorse, the apology to his wife and family, his previous good record and the fact that he had offered to plead to the manslaughter charge before trial.
Ikamanu's lawyer Simon Lance said his client didn't know his own strength but acknowledged he had caused the fatal head injuries. Ikamanu still denies the stomping.
"He didn't mean to kill his daughter. He is very sorry for it and he has the full support of his family," Mr Lance said, referring to family members in the public gallery.
He said Ikamanu is facing deportation [to Tonga] once he serves his prison sentence.
Outside court yesterday, Sela held four-month-old Cecilia, and said she would trust her husband with their children in the future and has forgiven him for causing the fatal injuries to Seini.
Detective Sergeant Steve Brewer from the police child protection team said he understood Sela's faith allowed her to forgive her husband.
"She's far more forgiving than I am or could ever be."
Mr Brewer said Mr Lance made a lot of how Ikamanu had tried to help Seini after causing the fatal injuries and it was easy for him to be sorry afterwards.
"What defence ignored is that he lied to his wife and every medical expert who was trying to save his daughter's life for two days - just to protect himself."
One of those experts was Starship Hospital child protection clinical director Dr Patrick Kelly who said his team sees head injuries caused by punching, throwing, or slamming in young children and babies on average once a month. "It's from people losing it completely."
However, Dr Kelly said so far this year, the norm has been one every two months.
"I wouldn't want to report it as a trend but I wish it was."
New Zealand has the OECD's fifth highest rate for deaths from maltreatment of children under 15 years, according to UNICEF but Dr Kelly said society is not becoming desensitised to child abuse.
