The lead investigator in Malachi Subecz's murder has described the harrowing abuse suffered by the five-year-old

A coronial inquest has begun in Auckland into his death in 2021.

Detective Inspector Craig Rawlinson's detailed how the boy's carer, Michaela Barriball, regularly kicked, punched, burned, and threw the boy.

Rawlinson suspects Barribal resisted custody claims from Malachi's family - to keep his Government-facilitated accommodation, get a benefit, and have leverage over the boy's mother.