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RICKY WILSON / THINGS
Phillip John Welsh pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 17-month-old Malcolm Bell when he appeared in Auckland High Court.
A man admitted to throwing his 17-month-old stepson against a sofa frame and killing him after an argument with his partner.
Phillip John Welsh pleaded guilty to manslaughter when he appeared in Auckland High Court on Tuesday, the day before his trial began.
Malcolm Robert Bell was rushed to Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital with serious injuries on June 23, 2019. Police described his injuries as “non-accidental”. He died six days later.
According to the factual summary, read in court by Crown Prosecutor Fiona Culliney, Malcolm’s mother, Savanna Bell, asked Welsh to care for Malcolm on two occasions on June 23, 2019, while she was with a friend.
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Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Crown prosecutor Fiona Culliney read the agreed factual summary.
Welsh was angry at being treated like the “babysitter”. When he left, Malcolm was crying.
Culliney said that Welsh was “angry and frustrated” and took Malcolm and threw him on the couch.
The force of the launch sent Malcolm bouncing off the wall and landing on the ground.
Welsh went to the bathroom before calling Malcolm’s mother to tell her that Malcolm was having a seizure.
Malcolm was taken to Starship Hospital, where CT scans revealed swelling in his brain and bleeding.
Doctors performed emergency surgery on Malcolm’s head to try to relieve the pressure on his skull.
While the boy was fighting for his life in the hospital, the police intercepted a phone call between Welsh and Savanna Bell.
Savanna Bell asked Welsh what he had done. “It was fine when I left.”
Welsh replied “Oh yes, of course I do. Tell me what happened Savanna? What did you do to him before I had him?
In other intercepted calls, Welsh told family and friends that Savanna Bell was responsible.
Six days after being admitted to the hospital, Malcolm Bell died.
Medical experts concluded that the force used to injure his head was similar to a car accident.
Welsh initially told police that he had come out of the bathroom to find Malcolm sprawled on the floor and unconscious.
Welsh is due to be sentenced on October 30.
Oranga Tamariki was involved with the family before Malcolm died.
The organization charged with protecting the country’s most vulnerable children has previously said Stuff They were unable to discuss the details of what happened while the case was in court.
“Malcolm’s death has also been referred to a coroner who will look at the broader circumstances. The coroner will consider whether there are any lessons to be learned for the future,” said Auckland manager Anna Palmer.
Phil Doyle / Stuff
William Bell in Auckland High Court
Welsh initially received the name suppression after his attorney David Niven argued that his client was wrongfully linked to RSA’s triple killer William Bell, the boy’s uncle. The deletion of the Welsh name expired in December.
William Bell killed three people and left another close to death in a firearm attack at the RSA at Mt Wellington-Panmure in 2001.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum period of 30 years without parole.
Bell’s parole period expires in 2033, when he will turn 55.
The sentence was the longest handed down in New Zealand until the Christchurch mosque shooter’s sentence in August.
