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Victim's Stories Murder Victims Stories From Kelly Lawrence's mother Tina Aaliyah Morrissey From Daniel Fleming's mother Sylvia From Brian Brown, father of Natasha Brown From Kristine Johnston mother of Shannon From Danny Alkema son of Kate Alkema From John and Val Hargreaves parents of Jennie Hargreaves From Bevan and Dawn Smith parents of Kylie Ann Smith Rita Croskery mother of Michael Choy Ann McKenzie widow of Noel McKenzie From Tai Hobson, husband of Mary Hobson From Doug Blakie, father of Lisa Blakie From Ida Hawkins, mother of Colleen Burrows In Our Courts Drink Drive Victims Stories Assault and Sexual assault

Aaliyah Morrissey from her parents Brad and Hoana

Aaliyah Morrissey was murdered on the 13th September 2005 by Michael Curran while out on bail for the murder of Natasha Brown

My name is Brad Morrissey, I am 37 years of age and married to Hoana a 29 year old and mother to our four beautiful children Jacob aged 9, Raymond aged 7, Chevaughn aged 2 and Aaliyah who would have been 5 years old on the 7th January this year. 2005 began well with our daughter Aaliyah turning two years old in January; Jacob began his second year at school in February and was progressing well and enjoying the school environment. In March I acquired employment as a forklift driver at the Tauranga wharf where it was not uncommon to work long hours seven days a week and life in general, seemed to be normal, until bail was granted to Michael John Curran by Justice Cooper at the Rotorua High Court on July 7th 2005, helped in no small way by the exuberance of his Q.C one Paul Mabey, who was undeterred by the previous judge’s refusals to grant his client his wishes.

We lived at Haukore Street Hairini, in the city of Tauranga and had been residing there for approximately two years. Michael’s wife Donna and their three children moved into Haukore Street in March 2005 and my wife and Donna had struck up a friendship when our respective children played at the park across the road as .we were only two houses away from each other. This friendship continued between both households and then Michael Curran was amazingly “bailed” to Haukore Street and allowed to reside with Donna and the three children. Albeit he was charged with murdering Natasha Hayden and had twenty two previous convictions consisting of perjury, perverting the course of justice, interfering with witnesses, two indecent assault charges relating to a girl under twelve and a rape charge that his dedicated lawyer got him off on a “technicality” . One would have thought that was more than enough evidence to keep him behind bars. This knowledge of him was unbeknown to Hoana and I although we knew he was facing a murder trial we accepted his story of Natasha committing suicide, as he pointed out to us “do you really think the courts would give me bail if I had actually murdered someone?” Even regular bail checks by Police failed to warn unsuspecting neighbours that there was a suspected “killer placed in their midst”.

Hoana and I accepted Curran’s explanation about his apparent situation and continued on with our usual routine of “wife at home” and “husband at work”. August arrived quickly and now it was time for Raymond’s fourth birthday. Work became a seven day task and I would regularly arrive home sometimes late at night. Hoana and I around that time, began having marital difficulties and I moved away preferring to concentrate on my work and to provide for my family financially.

I stayed with a friend for a few days then soon started to reflect on what I had done to Hoana and the prospects of the future involving our children. I decided that after being together for ten years and having raised three beautiful children with the help of very loving grand parents, it was too much to “throw away” and eventually moved back with Hoana, which she seemed at that time accepting of…

Things were still a bit strained for reasons that became apparent later on, but as I was still working long hours I figured that “given a passage of time” we would be able to work things out. Unfortunately Michael Curran had other ideas and on the 13th September 2005 after kissing my daughter Aaliyah goodbye I went off to work only to receive a call 5 hours later from Michael Curran saying my baby was not responding. When I questioned him as to what was wrong he tried to laugh it off and said his mother would be there shortly to pick me up. On the drive home Sue Curran, Michaels mother kept saying to me “don’t get wild; don’t take it out on Hoana. Upon arriving home I was told that Hoana had accompanied Aaliyah in the ambulance to hospital, so I followed up where upon my little girl was subsequently transferred to Starship hospital in Auckland. We spent two days at Starship and the news from the doctors became less and less encouraging so much so that it culminated in Hoana and I having to make the worst decision that any parent should never have to make and that is to turn off the life machine and watch our little girl take her final breaths.

Seven hundred and eighty eight days elapsed before we heard the full nature of what injuries our little girl suffered that fateful day at the hands of Michael Curran, which was held at the Rotorua high court. Thirty three bruises all over her body, a boot print across her tummy and head injuries that pushed her little brain from one side of her skull to the other. Medical experts at the trial said that they have never seen such injuries in their fifteen to twenty years in the medical profession.

I thought it was totally unjust that the murderer never had to appear in the witness box to answer any questions. Curran passed copious amounts of paper notes to his lawyer (via the prison officers) as each “trial-day” progressed and all the prosecutions witnesses were instructed not to mention that Curran was at the time of Aaliyahs murder, on bail for murdering Natasha otherwise Curran would of not got a fair trial. If fairness was in anyway part of Curran’s make-up, Aaliyah and Natasha would still be alive and we wouldn’t have had to go through this farce people call the “justice system”. Curran received a twenty year and six month jail sentence which has a minimum non-parole period of twenty years. This sentence includes a “freebie” (sentence) as both sentences are to be served concurrently but when all said and done it’s those of us who remain, that have the life sentence…

Written by Brad and Hoana Morrissey

The offender's details may be found here