‘Not a ripple’: Questions mount as advocates ask, why are children still being killed?

Saturday, 28 October 2023

Ruthless-Empire died just days from his second birthday.

A preeminent children’s advocate has criticised the country’s child abuse track record as slain toddler Ruthless-Empire Souljah-Reign Rhind Shepherd Wall is farewelled at a tangi today.

Various government agencies face questions around their level of involvement with the toddler, or not, before his death from non-accidental injuries.

The Post yesterday revealed a person connected to Ru, as he was known to family, was facing a number of violence charges and had appeared in court for allegedly breaching intensive supervision. They had been granted bail in September.

Reliable sources have since confirmed that that person had gang links, was known to be violent, and had served time in prison. It’s understood probation service officials considered them to be a high risk and had fears for their own staff safety.

Ru died on Sunday after being taken to Wellington’s Hutt Hospital that morning with critical injuries police believed were inflicted at least 12 hours earlier.

Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard described a “level of violence” that was “difficult to fathom”. Police had three persons of interest, including a blood relative and two wider whānau, who were known to police.

The Taitā home at the centre of the homicide investigation.

Ru was from outside the Wellington region and had arrived at the Taitā house in the past few weeks.

The Department of Corrections has not answered questions about the person facing charges and whether it was monitoring either them or the Taitā address Ru is believed to have been staying at. Acting regional commissioner Sean Mason said Corrections would not compromise the homicide investigation “and prevent any person from being held to account”.

“We would like to express our condolences to the whanau…every child deserves a safe, loving home. We echo police’s comment that any person with information should do the right thing and [come forward].”

Police have said it was working with Oranga Tamariki to see if there had been any other instances of violence. Oranga Tamariki referred all questions to police and would not confirm if Ru’s family was known to the child protection agency.

It’s understood Ru had been at the property just a few weeks before his death.

Regional services general manager Alison Cronin said in a written statement: “The death of any child is devastating for the family and their community, and I would like to acknowledge the ongoing grief Ruthless-Empire Ahipene-Wall (Baby Ru’s) family will feel.

Dame Lesley Max is deeply concerned “these deaths seem not to create much of a ripple”.

“As there is an ongoing police investigation, any further questions should be directed towards police.”

Sources say even within the agency's walls, conversations about the case are being held in hushed tones and behind closed doors. 'The bosses start talking then quickly go into their offices,' says a staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, 'so as per usual it’s the social workers who are getting all the criticism from the public because the top brass won't speak out.'

Ru was known to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) which rejected his name and was working with the family to find an alternative when he died. DIA said Ru’s birth had not been registered.

Speaking from New York, child protection campaigner Dame Lesley Max, founder and board chair of Great Potentials Foundation said cases like Ru’s were 'New Zealand's shame'.

Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard speaks to media about the death of toddler Ruthless-Empire.

Child Matter chief executive Jane Searle has orders for the incoming National government: “No more name changes, no more reviews...start with the basics.”

'This is one in a succession of cases of tragic deaths of infants -- absolutely defenceless infants,' Max said.

'One of my deep concerns is that these deaths seem not to create much of a ripple in our country. It's almost as if we expect that there will be a child killed every five weeks. I think this an absolutely disgraceful record.'

She said it was incumbent on social services to check for risk around children such as Ruthless-Empire.

'Where there are signs where something may be wrong then services should swing into action. With child protection, we talk a lot about it, but so often it doesn't happen. I think where someone has convictions for violence …there should be a level of scrutiny for the safety of the child.'

The case has echoes of other New Zealand child homicides, such as twins Chris and Cru Kahui, who died in 2006 - or Malachi Subecz, who was killed in 2021 by his caregiver. An independent review following Subecz’s death, commissioned by the six state agencies that interacted with him and his family before his death, found critical gaps in responses.

Child Matters chief executive Jane Searle said that, in 2022, at least nine children died at the hand of those supposedly caring for them. Meanwhile, in 30 years, Oranga Tamariki had been through five rebrands, eight prime ministers, and more than 33 reviews.

She had orders for a new government: “No more name changes, no more reviews, deploy decisive leadership. Just start with the basics and start now.”

The death of Malachi Subecz had led to no action, she said.

A report published in August by Aroturuki Tamariki, the Independent Children’s Monitor, the first of a series of reviews investigating the return of children in state care to their homes, found it was often done without adequate support and services in place - despite those children being at higher risk of harm than others in state care.

Children were often being returned home to unsafe environments, it found, however almost half of returns to parental homes were unplanned.

Searle said things needed to change. Part of that was methodically finding the facts of their latest tragedy, then accountability, “all the way to the minister”.