Malachi Subecz died after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his carer. Photo: Supplied
An inquest into the death of a 5-year-old who was killed by his carer in 2021 is due to get underway today.
Malachi Subecz died in Auckland's Starship hospital in November 2021, after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his carer Michaela Barriball.
She had been looking after Malachi while his mother was in prison, and was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for his murder.
Barriball had pleaded guilty to murder as well as charges of ill treatment of a child and injuring with intent to injure.
The inquest is expected to look at what steps were taken to ensure Malachi's safety and well-being, whether government agencies acted sufficiently, and whether mandatory reporting of injuries could reduce the likelihood of similar deaths happening in future.
It was also set to examine if information sharing systems between the relevant government agencies played a part in the child's death and whether matters arising from evidence obtained during the course of the inquiry or given at the inquest, that be used as the basis of recommendations that could assist in preventing further deaths occurring in similar circumstances in the future.
The Inquest was expected to begin on Monday morning.
Report finds children no safer
A report following Malachi's death found at-risk children were no safer in 2024 than they were before a series of recommendations in the wake of his death.
The assessment came in a follow-up report by the Aroturuki Tamariki the Independent Children's Monitor into whether the system had improved since the Bay of Plenty boy's murder.
After his death, a review by Dame Karen Poutasi was commissioned and six government agencies reviewed their work.
However, the report, called 'Working towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children', stated: "We are not confident that tamariki in similar situations to Malachi are any more likely to be seen, or kept safe by the system, than they were when Malachi died."
'Do not trust anyone with your kids who aren't family'
[https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/479967/malachi-subecz-s-mum-do-not-trust-anyone-with-your-kids-who-aren-t-family
In a statement] released by the Department of Corrections on her behalf, Malachi's mother said she hoped no other parent in prison would ever face losing a child the way she did.
"All I hope to come from this is this does not happen to other parents doing a lag who have kids," she said.
She said she lived with her mistakes every single day, and bitterly regretted trusting a non-family member with her son.
"Do not trust anyone with your kids who aren't family. A harsh lesson I've learnt in the worst possible way."
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