The parents of a seven-week-old girl who suffered broken bones after being dropped were convicted yesterday of charges in connection with the time it took them to take their daughter to hospital.
Richard Oneroa, 42, and his partner Noelette Shirley Mason, 43, both unemployed, were convicted in Wellington District Court last night for the wilful neglect of their daughter, after taking five hours 50 minutes to take her to hospital once they discovered she had an injured leg.
Oneroa was also convicted of wilfully ill-treating the girl, after admitting to police he was in the habit of grabbing her like a rugby ball.
The baby suffered the injuries around 5.20am on May 26, 2008 when Oneroa grabbed her by the front of her clothing to bring her into the couple's bed, but dropped her on the carpeted floor from a height of around 63 centimetres, Crown prosecutor Tom Gilbert said.
He and his partner noticed their daughter's leg was limp when bathing her around 8am.
The court was told the couple waited for a friend to come around to their house before taking their daughter to hospital, stopping on the way to pick up their methadone prescriptions at a pharmacist.
The jury deliberated for just over four hours yesterday before returning guilty verdicts at 9pm.
The pair were remanded on bail for sentencing on June 9.
