NZ Man Admits Manslaughter in Son’s Death, Details of Abuse Revealed

Te Kūiti Man Admits Manslaughter in Death of 10-Month-Old Son

A 24-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his 10-month-old son in Te Kūiti, New Zealand, on June 8, 2024. Mukzameel Ali appeared in the High Court at Hamilton today and also admitted to charges of assault with intent to injure and assaulting a person in a family relationship.

Ali initially faced charges of murder and two assault charges, but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter. The charges stem from a period of abuse between February 1, 2023, and May 31, 2023, and June 2023 and June 2024.

Court documents reveal Ali expressed concern and encouraged his partner to terminate the pregnancy after learning she was expecting in January 2023. The partner initially misled Ali, believing she had miscarried. Ali later discovered she was still pregnant after finding a hidden pregnancy scan, leading to an argument where he repeatedly slapped her and then jumped on her abdomen while she was lying on the bed.

On June 8, 2024, Ali’s partner woke to her son crying at 6:00 am and settled him in bed between herself and Ali before falling back asleep. She left the baby sleeping with Ali at 10:50 am, asking Ali to bathe and feed the child in preparation for family celebrations later that day. Mustafa had been unwell in the days leading up to his death, suffering from a high temperature.

Ali fed Mustafa a bottle and some Weet-Bix, but the baby vomited and remained unsettled. When Ali attempted to force-feed Mustafa his bottle, he caused prominent bruising to the baby’s chin. Becoming “stressed and angry,” Ali inflicted a fatal blow to Mustafa’s abdomen.

At 2:16 pm, Ali’s partner returned home to find him holding Mustafa, who was “floppy and cold to the touch.” The couple immediately went to Te Kūiti Hospital, where Mustafa was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

A post-mortem examination determined that Mustafa died as a result of a crushing injury to his abdomen, lacerating his liver and the wall of his large bowel in two locations. The injury to his liver was so severe that internal bleeding began immediately and continued until his death. Medical experts determined the force required to cause the injury was inconsistent with CPR procedures, despite Ali initially telling police the injury occurred during an attempt to revive the baby.

Mustafa also had abscesses around his larynx and bruising behind his ears and on the top of his head. The post-mortem indicated that eating Weet-Bix would have caused him significant discomfort.

Justice Layne Harvey convicted Ali, who did not seek name suppression, and remanded him in custody for sentencing in May. A funeral service was held for Mustafa on June 13, attended by approximately 100 mourners, many wearing T-shirts printed with his face. His mother described him as a “happy and adorable boy.”