Source: Radio New Zealand
Storme Turany at the inquest of her son Soul. Pool / Chris Skelton / Stuff
Hours after baby Soul Turany died from catastrophic head injuries at Christchurch Hospital, the boy’s mother sent a text message to her then-partner.
“I still don’t understand why I haven’t heard from you. Soul has passed away,” she wrote.
Police say either Storme Turany or Tony Farmer must have inflicted the injuries that killed the 16-week-old child, some time on the morning of 30 August 2014 at their rural home near Darfield.
He died early on 31 August.
Clinicians have told an inquest that Soul could not have injured himself, the person who did it would have known what they had done and he would have been unconscious soon after the assault.
Turany sent the message to Farmer at 5.43am on 31 August.
“I’m so sorry about Soul. I want to be there for you. I don’t know what to do,” Farmer replied.
The pair continued to exchange messages over the following days, with Turany inviting Farmer to Soul’s funeral.
Coroner Telford asked Turany – who had described herself as an over-protective mother – how she could explain her messages to Farmer if she was innocent, given that would mean he had killed her son.
“I can’t explain it. It makes me feel sick,” she said.
Before her second interview with police, Turany said she did not want to think that Farmer had killed her son.
“I did not want to believe it,” she said.
“I thought at this point the detectives might still be wrong. I thought this might have been some kind of mistake.”
Turany ended the relationship with Farmer some time about 12 September, when she was formally interviewed by police under caution.
Soul Mathew Turany was 16 weeks old, when he suffered a fatal assault. Supplied / Facebook
Farmer’s lawyer Andrew McCormick suggested she ended the relationship to cast guilt over her former partner.
“Tony is saying he’s there for you and you are seeking out contact from him,” McCormick said, characterising the messages between the pair following Soul’s death.
McCormick asked if Turany wanted to point the finger at Farmer.
“I did not hurt my son. If this is about one out of two people, then yes there is a reason to point the finger,” she responded.
Several lawyers put direct accusations to Turany about her involvement in Soul’s death.
On Monday Turany’s sister Skye Lamborn told the court about an occasion when Turany “chucked” Soul down on a bed and then called her in tears.
On Wednesday Turany had claimed that was mischaracterised but on Thursday said she could not recall it.
Lawyer for police Kerry White asked if it provided a clue as to what happened on the morning of 30 August.
“You’ve done something to Soul that morning and it’s not the first time that it’s happened is it?” White asked.
“I cannot recall,” Turany responded.
“Due to frustration and exhaustion you have again chucked Soul down hard on the bed?” White pressed.
“No,” Turany interjected, mid question.
“But he’s hit something – is it the headboard?” White continued.
“That is not true,” Turany responded.
“I’m not suggesting that is an outcome that you intended but that is what’s happened, isn’t it?” White pressed again.
“No it is not,” Turany said.
McCormick then took a different path, asking: “Was it an accident?”
“That is not what happened,” Turany said.
On Thursday Turany struggled to recall many details of the morning Soul was injured, including her first phone call to Healthline and several calls to her sister but was adamant she had nothing to do with his death.
Farmer will take the stand on Thursday afternoon.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand