Baby Aaliyah's murderer had killed before

A man convicted today of murdering Tauranga two-year-old Aaliyah Morrissey was on bail awaiting trial for another killing at the time of the toddler's violent death.

Michael John Curran, 28, a father of three, was found guilty in mid-2006 of the manslaughter of Natasha Hayden at McLarens Falls Park near Tauranga in January 2005.

He is currently serving a nine-year jail sentence.

All details of that murder trial – the jury acquitted him of the higher charge of murder – had been under strict suppression orders until now so as not to prejudice this week's trial in the High Court at Rotorua.

The jury of eight women and four men took 4½ hours this afternoon to find Curran guilty of murder.

Aaliyah died after life support was turned off in Auckland's Starship Hospital in September 2005. Curran admitted shaking her to stop her crying, but denied striking her and said he did not intend to hurt her.

A lthough Justice Graham Lang today appealed to the public gallery to remain quiet and calm when the jury returned its verdict, applause burst out among Aaliyah's family and supporters.

Brief insults were hurled at Curran as he was led from the court, his head bowed.

The judge excused the jury from further service for three years and told them it was only fair that they knew that Curran had a "serious criminal history".

Justice Lang remanded Curran in custody for sentencing on February 1.

There were tears and hugs among supporters of Aaliyah's family – among them were Natasha Hayden's parents. Curran's parents were also there to see him convicted.

Outside the court, Aaliyah's father Brad Morrissey said Curran shouldn't have been bailed in the first place and his daughter's death should never have happened.

"People need to be held to account for this," he said.

Curran is no stranger to prison. He has a list of more than 20 convictions, dating back to Youth Court when as a 15-year-old he was jailed for two years for indecent assault on a girl aged under 12. He also served time for attempted unlawful sexual connection with another girl under 12.

Curran was acquitted of raping a woman in the toilet block of Tauranga's Memorial Park in early 2002.

However, that case resulted in him later being found guilty on two charges of perverting the course of justice after attempting to get a family member and a friend to give him a false alibi.

Other offences on Curran's long list include possession of cannabis for supply, social welfare fraud and theft.

As in the Aaliyah case, Curran gave several different versions of how 24-year-old Natasha Hayden died.

The pathologist who carried out the post mortem gave the cause of death as asphyxiation.

Curran said she had fallen or slipped during a walk, her jersey had come around her neck and got stuck on a rock, and that he found her hanging by her zipped jacket from a power station post.

In a police interview he later said he thought he had inadvertently choked her during sex in a car.

Natasha, who worked as a nanny, and Curran – both married – had met through friends and been secretly seeing each other for some months. She, like Mrs Morrissey, was a friend of Curran's wife and sometimes helped look after their children.

Curran and Mrs Hayden were reportedly on the brink of ending their relationship when they drove to McLarens Falls in the lower Kaimai ranges on January 10, 2005.

Other park visitors gave evidence of a panicked man seeking their help. He pulled up at a picnic spot in a car with a woman's body lying on the reclined passenger seat.

It was to be nearly three weeks before police had sufficient evidence to charge Curran with Mrs Hayden's murder.

He was released on bail six months later, despite opposition from the crown prosecutor.

Strict conditions put him under a 24-hour curfew at his wife's home in the Tauranga suburb of Hairini.

It was not long before Curran got to know the neighbours two doors down, Aaliyah's parents. Hoana Morrissey befriended Curran's wife Donna while he was in jail on remand.

Meanwhile, Mr Morrissey moved out of home for a short period in August 2005 while having marital difficulties.

During that time his wife's friendship with Curran became a sexual relationship for about three weeks before Aaliyah died. Aaliyah had frequently spent time at the Currans' house with her mother.

She had been left in Curran's care on September 13 while Mrs Morrissey and Mrs Curran went out to pay some bills and do some shopping. The Currans' two daughters were at school and their baby son was at home under his father's care.

Two days later Aaliyah died at Starship Hospital. Niall Kelly, a consultant paediatrician at the hospital, told this week's trial that the girl had severe internal abdominal damage, extensive bruising to the face, trunk, buttock and limbs, a recently broken arm, and injuries to her ears and eyes. Her body carried 33 separate external bruises and cuts.

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