Second person in court in relation to Baby Ru case

A woman has appeared in court today, jointly charged with removing and disposing of a CCTV system on the day Baby Ru died.

Her appearance comes two days after a man appeared in the same courthouse, charged with the same offence.

Toddler Baby Ru, also known as Nga Reo Te Huatahi Reremoana Ahipene-Wall, died from severe head injuries at Hutt Hospital three years ago, on October 22, 2023, two days before his second birthday.

He was living at a house in Taitā, Lower Hutt, with three people when he suffered blunt force trauma to his head.

Police previously said they were confident that one person inflicted those injuries, but that nobody had given investigators “a full, truthful account” of what happened that day.

This morning, a woman appeared in the Lower Hutt District Court charged with perverting the course of justice.

The man appeared on Tuesday, on the same charge.

The pair are jointly accused of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice by removing and disposing of a CCTV system from Poole St, Taitā, on the day Baby Ru died.

The charge carries a maximum of seven years’ jail.

On Tuesday, defence lawyer Kevin Smith indicated that he needed more time to speak to his client.

Bail was opposed by police.

Judge Michael Mika remanded the man in custody and granted him name suppression until his next appearance later this month, when he is expected to enter a plea.

Today, Judge Mika remanded the woman in custody without plea until the same date, and also granted interim name suppression until then.

Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said earlier that the arrests were welcome news.

“We have never stopped working to determine what happened here and get justice for Ru and his whānau.

“Baby Ru’s death was a senseless tragedy, and it is a relief to have made progress in this case.”

Police said the investigation was ongoing and further charges were likely.