Mother Of Slain Children Breaks Her Silence On Native Affairs

The mother of three children shot dead by their father in Melbourne, Australia, three weeks ago has broken her silence in an exclusive interview to be broadcast on Maori Television’s current affairs show, NATIVE AFFAIRS, on Monday May 3 at 8.30 PM (repeats Sunday May 9 at 5.30 PM).

Shianne Singh, 30, of Ngati Mahuta descent, fought for the return of her children so that she and her wider family could mourn their passing at Taniwha Marae near Te Kauwhata and they could be buried with their ancestors at Taupiri Mountain in the Waikato.

On April 10, the three Singh children – Asia, 12, Jarius, 10, and Grace, seven – were shot dead by their father, Rajesh ‘Eddie’ Osborne. He then shot himself in their Roxburgh Park home. Police believe Osborne used a shotgun to kill his children. Their bodies were flown home last Wednesday April 28 and were buried at Taupiri today (Saturday May 1).

Their mother, and Osborne’s first wife, Shianne Singh, told NATIVE AFFAIRS that she had not seen or spoken to her children for more than four years. She says she had to leave her marriage because of her abusive husband. Osborne and his mother cared for the children and would not allow Shianne any further contact. Osborne later remarried.

Shianne Singh says their marriage went from bad to worse when they moved from New Zealand to Melbourne. “He started threatening me when he knew I had no one to support me if he did something and that really scared me to argue with him every day, be beaten up by him every day, to be sexually abused by him. It was just happening so much that at that point there was no way out for me.”

Shianne Singh told NATIVE AFFAIRS that there was nothing to indicate Osborne would kill his own children. “He’d never hit the kids, he loved them.” But she believes that he was depressed and determined to take own life and did not want the children back with their mother.

“I think it was a revenge thing against me. He knew that if he’d done his own life then the kids would come straight to me. He was a selfish person. I think things got harder for him because of his history in New Zealand with me was coming out slowly and the things he’d done in the past were unfolding. No matter how many relationships he had he repeated them, the same scenarios, and everyone left him one by one.”

In other stories on Monday night’s show, NATIVE AFFAIRS host Julian Wilcox talks to the Durie brothers – Sir Eddie and Sir Mason - about their unique knighthoods; Wena Harawira is in New Plymouth for a special church dedication; and Carmen Parahi continues her investigation into the growing number of schools which are establishing military academies.

Regional and national current affairs – from a Maori perspective – as well as international indigenous news, NATIVE AFFAIRS screens live-to-air on Maori Television on Monday May 3 at 8.30 PM and is repeated on Sunday May 9 at 5.30 PM.

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