A jury has heard a man accused of murdering a Mangawhai toddler told first responders he accidentally dropped the girl.
Two-year-old Ariah Dawn Roberts died in the care of her mother's former boyfriend Aaron Archer at Mangawhai Heads in August last year.
Mr Archer has admitted to causing her death, but denies murdering the toddler.
The Crown says Ariah's "multiple" injuries compare to those sustained in a serious car crash.
RNZ court reporter Anneke Smith was at the first day of Aaron Archer's trial in the High Court at Auckland.
