A person of interest in the killing of toddler Baby Ru has admitted assaulting an NZME journalist outside court.

Rosie Morunga today admitted charges of assault, theft of a cellphone and taking a document for pecuniary advantage in the Hutt Valley District Court.

She also pleaded guilty to a raft of other unrelated charges including shoplifting at various supermarkets around the region and at retail stores.

Morunga has been granted bail and will be sentenced next month on all 19 charges.

Morunga is a person of interest, along with two others, after Ruthless-Empire Souljah Reign Rhind Shephard Wall arrived at Hutt Hospital last October unresponsive with severe head injuries and died.

The toddler, now known as Nga Reo Te Huatahi Reremoana Ahipene-Wall, was living at a home in the Lower Hutt suburb of Taitā where Morunga also resided. No one has been charged over Baby Ru’s death.

Baby Ru from a tribute video made by family in November 2023. The toddler died in hospital on October 22 last year, aged 2 years.

The incident with the journalist happened in late November, after an unrelated hearing at a Wellington courthouse.

The reporter, who works for NZME, was assaulted while questioning Morunga. The reporter’s phone and debit card were stolen during the clash, with the card later used to buy hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol.

Another woman who has been charged with assault in connection to the incident with the journalist has maintained her not-guilty plea. She has name suppression with a judge-alone trial set down for February.

Her appearance was excused from the Hutt Valley District Court today.

NZME editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness earlier said each day the organisation’s journalists across the country worked hard to fulfil an important role in covering news, keeping communities informed and pushing for truth and justice.

“Their safety is always our number one priority and they should be free to do their jobs without obstruction. Our team has our full support.”

Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media adviser at the Ministry of Justice.