Family 'felt curse was fighting them'

The family of Janet Moses believed it was a curse fighting against them when she struggled as they forced water into her mouth, a jury has been told.

A witness has described how Ms Moses said it was not her time but she would be the "sacrifice", the High Court at Wellington was told yesterday.

People at the Wainuiomata flat where she died thought she was saying she would sacrifice her life for the family fighting a Maori curse. They asked her how to get rid of the curse, the 16-year-old witness said.

His recorded interview with police was played to the jury hearing the manslaughter charge against nine of Ms Moses' aunts and uncles.

In it the witness said dozens of people who gathered at the small Wainuiomata flat in October 2007 believed evil spirits did not like water so people were sprinkling it over themselves. The tap was running all night as they fought the curse in Ms Moses, he said.

Water was poured into her mouth and she was encouraged to vomit, spit or cough up the water to get rid of the curse.

The family thought it was the curse struggling against them when she fought their attempts to rid her of it.

They were yelling at it to get out of Ms Moses. "Like, 'Give her back to us,' and stuff," the witness said. At times she was allowed to relax.

Then other people were suspected of having the curse too - one because she had fainted - and they were also treated with water.

Earlier Lisa Rawiri, daughter of two of the accused, said at times she would look over to Ms Moses to ask if she was all right and Ms Moses would nod that she was.

One of the group was a boyfriend of a member of the extended family. Dwayne Smith said he saw Ms Rawiri's mother Georgina relaying messages from her recently dead mother-in-law about a ''hit'' that was expected.

He later realised she was talking about a spiritual battle that was to come.

He had already thought there was something evil in Ms Moses.

Lisa Rawiri said her cousin Janet Moses had been acting strangely for some days.

She looked after several children at a family member's house while others went to her grandparents flat to support Ms Moses. On October 11, 2007, she went to the flat herself and was there until police arrived after Ms Moses died the following day.

During the Thursday and overnight people held hands around Ms Moses chanting, ''Go with peace and love''.

Ms Moses did not try to get out of the circle.

The circle was to cleanse demons, she thought.  Ms Rawiri's father, John Rawiri, was speaking Maori - which he was not usually good at - and using a crutch as a taiaha to chase away evil spirits.

She said it looked weird. ''That is not my dad. I didn't know he could do it.''

She thought one of her dead uncles was speaking through her father, and that was how he could speak Maori.

Ms Moses' partner came to the flat but was not allowed in as Ms Moses said, ''Get him away''.

At one point Ms Rawiri said she was told not to look other people in the eye because she was ''channelling'', but she did not know what that was.

She was told she was possessed and she could not remember parts of the night.

''To me it's like a dream that you try and remember but its just not there.'' Occasionally she would look over to Ms Moses to ask if she was all right and Ms Moses would nod, she said.

At one point she saw Ms Moses' father and his twin brother holding her in the shower. She was crying but by the end Ms Rawiri thought Ms Moses had been happy to be helped.

She did not see anyone doing anything to Ms Moses with water except what she was offered to drink along with everyone else.

Ms Rawiri said she saw one young girl  who two unnamed people are charged with treating cruelly  and thought the girl was dead but when she went nearer she heard the girl snoring so knew she was alive but perhaps in a coma.

She also discovered that Ms Moses did not have a pulse. Ms Moses clothing was wet but Ms Rawiri said she did not see how that happened.

The rest of the flat was also wet. She was not sure how that happened.

THE COURT CASE

Nine of Janet Moses' relatives are charged with her manslaughter, which the Crown alleges was the result of an attempt to remove a curse a makutu or evil spirit.

They are: John Tahana Rawiri, 49, Georgina Aroha Rawiri, 50, Aroha Gwendoline Wharepapa, 48, Hall Jones Wharepapa, 46, Tanginoa Apanui, 42, Angela Rangiaroha Orupe, 46, Gaylene Tangiohorere Kepa, 44, Alfred Hughes Kepa, 48, and Glenys Lynette Wright, 52.

Two people, with name suppression, are charged with cruelty to a 14-year-old girl in their care.

- © Fairfax NZ News