Ōtara baby death: Man pleads not guilty to murder

The 24-year-old defendant appeared today in the High Court at Auckland.

An Auckland man who was charged with murder following the death of a baby in May has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

A plea was entered on his behalf by defence lawyer Joanna Murdoch today as the 24-year-old defendant appeared in person before Justice Sally Fitzgerald in the High Court at Auckland.

Name suppression remains in place for the defendant, as well as for the deceased child and for two potential witnesses in the case.

Justice Fitzgerald set a trial date for February 2024 and gave the parties a one-week deadline to formally apply for continued name suppression.

Court documents state the baby died in Ōtara on May 23. The infant was taken to Watford Medical Centre with critical injuries and was pronounced dead at the clinic after attempts to administer CPR were unsuccessful.

The defendant initially appeared at Manukau District Court on a charge of assaulting a child, but the case was transferred to the High Court at Auckland after the charge was upgraded to murder. Today marked his first High Court appearance.

Counties Manukau CIB Detective Inspector Warrick Adkin has previously declined to comment on the case, citing the suppression orders.