Now Timu, who was his legal guardian and great aunt, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, accepting her role in his death. The 62-year-old also has admitted a series of charges, some of them representative, related to ill-treatment and ongoing violence towards Rickah’Shae. As Timu entered guilty pleas, a large number of family members and supporters of Rickah’Shae were in attendance. Timu pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including the manslaughter charge, and the violence and ill-treatment charges related to Rickah’Shae. Timu accepted charges of ill-treatment, which included shaving the children’s hair to embarrass them, and withholding food.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 25, 2026 17:40 UTC