Rosie Morunga called out "I love you, I'm going to jail for 18 months", to a male in the back of the court. Photo: STUFF
A woman described as a "person of interest" in the investigation of the death of Hutt toddler Baby Ru has been sentenced to 18 months' jail on unrelated charges.
The charges included four assaults. One of the victims was a journalist Morunga punched "multiple" times with a closed fist, while pulling her hair with the other hand, Judge Nicola Wills said on Wednesday.
The journalist, whose name was suppressed, dropped her two phones during the assault outside the Hutt Valley District Court on 23 November. Morunga and an associate took the phones, and bought alcohol using a bankcard kept with one of the phones.
Another person had allegedly spat in the journalist's face, the Hutt Valley District Court had been told.
Many of the other charges involved stealing from stores, in one case Morunga walking out with her arms full of $1200 worth of clothes.
She was found guilty of one assault but pleaded guilty to 18 other charges.
No one has been charged in relation to the death of Baby Ru.
Baby Ru was originally known as Ruthless-Empire but his name was later changed. He was almost two-years-old when he died on 22 October after being taken to hospital in an unresponsive state.
Three people were thought to be at the house at the time: Ru's mother, Storm Angel Wall, Rosie Morunga and another person.
- This story was originally published by Stuff.