New Zealand - A 65-year-old grandmother accused of killing her 2-year-old grandson over his slow learning curve when it came to toilet habits is allegedly a methamphetamine addict.
New Zealand court hears how grandmother killed child
Methamphetamine addict, Kathleen Cooper, of Auckland, New Zealand allegedly "threw the toddler down the hallway of their Manurewa home following a toileting accident on 13 December 2015," the International Business Times (UK) reported.
Grandmother Cooper's trial on Friday 11 August revealed that the boy (Jermain Ngawhau), received head injuries after he was flung down the hallway by his meth addicted grandmother.
Although he was rushed to the hospital, the severity of his head injuries resulted in his death five days later.
Slow to learn toilet habits, meth addict rage
After the child was hospitalized, old bruising was found that indicated that the methamphetamine addict had beaten the child on more than one occasion. The court heard how the child was slow to develop and at least one witness told the court that the day before the incident the boy was dragged around naked by Cooper.
Prosecutor Aaron Perkins told the court that Jermain was often beaten by his grandmother as she was short tempered from her meth addiction. The New Zealand child was in the custody of his grandmother, along with his three siblings.
All of the children were aged under five at the time and were the offspring of Cooper's troubled daughter.
Grandmother did not mean to kill 2-year-old says lawyer
According to Paul Dacre, the lawyer of the meth addict, she did not deny killing her two-year-old grandson but argued that she did not mean to. His reasoning was that because there was no intent to murder the boy, she should not be charged with murder.
The prosecution countered this claim by arguing that her record of beating the children reflected that she was well aware of how to hurt them.
Something else that is not in favor of the grandmother is the fact that methamphetamine traces in the house indicated the little children had been exposed to the dangerous drug in the home.
Meth addiction in New Zealand
Meth addiction in New Zealand is on the rise, and while the small island nation which has a population of just over 4.6 million boasts a good standard of living, the drug is impacting on society. Stuff NewZealand quoted Stephen King, the director of the Hamilton Alcohol and Drug Community Support Trust, as saying, "There is a rise and it's right across the board. There are 700,000 people in New Zealand with addiction-related problems."
