/news/crime/rss ob体育接口 Keep up with the latest in local police, courts, and crime news across New Zealand with Newstalk ob体育接口. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 22:41:55 Z en /news/crime/banned-driver-blushes-as-judge-asks-why-he-continued-to-drive-like-an-idiot/ /news/crime/banned-driver-blushes-as-judge-asks-why-he-continued-to-drive-like-an-idiot/ Banned driver Isaac Alexander Ginty, 24, has added a fresh crop of convictions for driving offences to the 11 he had already. Judge Peter Hobbs highlighted Ginty’s “appallingly bad” record, sentencing him to community detention and community work. Ginty acknowledged his mistakes and aims to improve, with support from his father and employer. A young driver already banned from driving until 2029 because of his “appallingly bad” history went ahead and drove anyway. Isaac Alexander Ginty blushed as a judge told him he had “a history of driving like an idiot”, then almost collapsed in the dock after standing for so long during sentencing on Tuesday. The 24-year-old from the small Canterbury township of Kirwee was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on eight charges of driving while disqualified on a third or subsequent time, two of them representative charges. His convictions this week added to his tally of 11 previous for driving while disqualified or suspended, plus a “troubling” six more for dangerous driving, and numerous others for drink driving and failing to stop, Judge Peter Hobbs noted. Isaac Ginty and father Jerome Ginty outside the temporary Nelson Courthouse, where Isaac was sentenced on his latest crop of charges for driving while disqualified. Photo / Tracy Neal In December 2023, Ginty was disqualified for a year, but was then caught several times two months later riding a motorbike. In May last year, he was caught on five occasions driving a car, and again in August driving a different vehicle. Most of the offending occurred after Ginty was caught pulling out of various fuel stations between Christchurch, Nelson and Greymouth. “You are on a wheel of re-offending for offences of this kind,” Judge Hobbs said. Ginty now biked the 15 minutes to and from his work as a sandblaster and spray painter. He was described by Judge Hobbs as “on the edge of being young” and that “the male brain was not properly formed until age 25″. However, he was not given any discount in sentencing for his youth. Judge Hobbs lectured Ginty as a school headmaster might about the perils of poor driving. “Why are you being an idiot?”, he asked and said the courts were tired of people who ignored orders. “Eventually, we say ‘enough’s enough’, and you will go to jail.” Ginty said he knew he had “stuffed up” and that he now wanted to get ahead in life. Judge Hobbs said in taking into account Ginty’s appallingly bad record, a sentencing starting point of 18 months in prison was “easily achievable”, and that the roads were dangerous enough without people on them who didn’t respect the rules. “You have to stop doing this,” he said, and then asked him how Ginty would feel if he injured or killed someone. “I couldn’t live with myself,” Ginty replied. Judge Hobbs relayed the numerous times he had sentenced young men like him who had hurt, paralysed and even killed others through ignoring road rules. “I have done many sentencings and they are no fun.” Judge Hobbs said innocent members of the public were also placed at risk by drivers such as Ginty, but acknowledged that there had been no fault with his driving, only that he had continued to drive when he was not allowed. “You have to change your attitude. Your father, who is in court, has suggested the same.” Gerome Ginty, clearly emotional at what had transpired in the court, told ob体育接口 outside that parenting was a “forever job” and that he hoped his son had now reached a turning point. “He talks about one day owning a house and contributing to the community in a good way.” In sentencing Ginty to three months of community detention and 40 hours of community work on each charge, to be served concurrently, Judge Hobbs acknowledged his early guilty plea, the adversity he had faced in his early life that may have contributed to his behaviour, and the seven months he had already spent on electronic bail with a strict curfew, without issue. The community work sentence was given instead of a further driving disqualification, given that Ginty would be off the road until 2029. “I’m comfortable knowing you can’t get behind the wheel for some time,” Judge Hobbs said. He said a further disqualification would have extended the ban out to 2031, which was a “tall order” for someone of Ginty’s age. “There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel, and that’s a very good thing. You have also been spoken of highly by your employer, but if you continue on this path, you will end up in prison,” Judge Hobbs said. “It will be a good thing to see you appropriately licensed and a safe driver.” Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 08:50:53 Z /news/crime/police-probe-unexplained-death-in-feilding-at-home-of-elderly-woman-and-son/ /news/crime/police-probe-unexplained-death-in-feilding-at-home-of-elderly-woman-and-son/ Police are looking into an unexplained death at a Feilding property where a mother and son lived. A police car remained outside the Campbell St house overnight, with a scene examination under way. Neighbours said the mother and son “kept to themselves” and there were “quite a few cops” present. Police are continuing to look into an unexplained death at a Feilding property where it’s understood an elderly mother and car-loving son lived who “kept to themselves”. A police car was stationed outside the house on Campbell St in the Manawatū town of Feilding after a guard was placed on the property yesterday afternoon. Officers were called to the address about 12.50pm on Tuesday after a person was found dead at the home. Police said the scene examination began this morning and would continue across the day. “Police will guard the scene again overnight.” Neighbour Albert James said an elderly woman and her adult son had lived in the house and were “very quiet”. He said they had never caused any problems on the street. “We didn’t see much of her ... they kept to themselves. “The boy was a bit of a car fanatic, a typical Kiwi lad doing his work on cars in the shed. “We know that there’s a body but that’s all,” he said. James said there were about four police vehicles outside the house today with officers investigating inside, but the street was “all quiet”. “The police were there all day yesterday.” Death ‘tragic’ for township Manawatū District Mayor Helen Worboys said it was “tragic” to hear news of the unexplained death. She said from her understanding it was a younger person who had died. “It is distressing to hear of a young person’s death,” she said. “So far it is an unexplained death, no suspicious circumstances at this stage, and they [the police] won’t know more until the autopsy and report has been done later in the week.” Another neighbour, who lives across the road from the house, said there were “quite a few cops” around yesterday. “A mother and son live there, they’re pretty quiet, they don’t really cause a lot of issues,” she said. Another woman living on the street confirmed a mother and son had lived there but they had largely “kept to themselves”. Police said the death was being treated as unexplained at this time. “We know the police presence will be unsettling for Campbell St residents. However, we want to reassure them there is no cause for alarm.” Worboys said it was worrying for the community but they just had to await the outcome of the police process. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 02:38:11 Z /news/crime/trade-me-auction-for-corrections-uniform-prompts-police-investigation/ /news/crime/trade-me-auction-for-corrections-uniform-prompts-police-investigation/ The Corrections Department and New Zealand Police are investigating after a prison officer’s uniform was listed on online auction website Trade Me.  The listing for a Corrections jacket has been removed from the website, with Trade Me saying it breached its policies. However, a screengrab appears to show that the item had already been sold.  Corrections is now attempting to find out whether the seller was a current or former staff member. The department has strict rules about use of its uniforms, and it is against the law to impersonate prison staff.  Commissioner Custodial Services Leigh Marsh said the department became aware of the listing on April 9 and immediately conducted inquiries.  The department was still trying to establish the identity of the seller, and had referred the matter to police.  “Under Department of Corrections Policy, staff members must return all uniform items when they leave the department for safety and security reasons,” Marsh said.  “They must also return any unusable items at any stage during their employment. Unusable items will have all branding removed and destroyed.”  Uniforms could not be passed to other staff members. If uniforms were stolen or lost, staff were expected to immediately report this to their manager. And if items were suspected to have been stolen, it was reported to police.  “All staff are expected to follow our policies and if we receive any information suggesting staff are not meeting the standard required of them, we investigate and take the appropriate action,” Marsh said.  A screengrab of the Trade Me listing for a Corrections officer jacket, which was later removed.  A screengrab of the Trade Me listing showed that it was being sold without a reserve and had attracted 11 bids. The pick-up address was listed on Auckland’s North Shore. Another screengrab showed the seller congratulating a buyer on April 14 and arranging pick-up details.  Trade Me said it could not discuss any member’s account activity for privacy reasons.  But policy and compliance manager James Ryan said that it was against Trade Me’s rules to sell emergency services uniforms, including Corrections uniforms. Only items which could be legally sold were able to be listed on Trade Me, he said.  “We have a dedicated team who monitor the site constantly for things that shouldn’t be there. However, with eight million listings onsite right now, we cannot vet every listing.”  Under the Corrections Act, it is an offence to pretend to be a security officer or Corrections employee.  In 2022, a notorious escape artist used a Corrections uniform to escape Rimutaka Prison.  Damon Exley, who stole the uniform off a guard, went on to rape a woman who picked him up while hitchhiking, leading to a major investigation and an apology from Corrections.  Damon Exley in the High Court in Wellington in 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:02:29 Z /news/crime/deane-fuller-sandys-case-crown-announces-it-won-t-pursue-gone-fishing-double-murder-retrial-for-stephen-stone/ /news/crime/deane-fuller-sandys-case-crown-announces-it-won-t-pursue-gone-fishing-double-murder-retrial-for-stephen-stone/ The Crown will not pursue a retrial for Stephen Ralph Stone, whose convictions were quashed in October.  It’s been over 25 years since the “Gone Fishing” double-murder trial, which had already been considered a cold case.  Stone was released from prison after the Court of Appeal found a miscarriage of justice, but he remained on bail as the Crown mulled a retrial.  The Crown announced today it will not pursue a retrial for high-profile double-murder defendant Stephen Ralph Stone, six months after the Court of Appeal quashed his 25-year-old jury trial convictions.  The decision now leaves Stone - who was released from prison in October but remained under bail conditions until a planned 2026 trial - a completely free man for the first time in decades.  Auckland Crown Solicitor Alysha McClintock confirmed the decision during a brief hearing this morning before Justice Timothy Brewer in the High Court at Auckland.  She said it is important to note that the case is now about what can be proved with admissible evidence.  “I have concluded there is no longer sufficient evidence available to the Crown,” she said, pointing out that three of the four major witnesses in the case are no longer available. “Important context to the trial ... would not be available.”  Stone, now much older, wore a white t-shirt and mumbled, seemingly annoyed, as the prosecutor read aloud the prepared statement.  “Thank God,” he said as Justice Brewer confirmed that he now has the equivalent of an acquittal.  “So you are now free to leave the dock,” Brewer said.  Stone didn’t wait around as other cases were called. He left the courtroom immediately.  “F*** off!” he yelled at reporters who surrounded him as he left the courthouse a short time later.  The death of tyre fitter Deane Fuller-Sandys - a 21-year-old initially presumed to have drowned while fishing along Auckland’s west coast in 1989 - was already considered a cold case when jurors in the High Court at Auckland found Stone guilty of murder in 1999.  Stephen Stone was found guilty in 1999 of the 1989 murders of Dean Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens (inset), but 25 years later the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial. Photo / Russell Smith  It was at the time dubbed the “Gone Fishing” case by the media.  Stone was found guilty at the same trial of having raped and murdered witness Leah Stephens five days after the first killing.  The bouncer and Black Power gang member was later ordered to serve two concurrent life sentences for the murder convictions and 10 years’ imprisonment for the rape charge.  Co-defendant Gail Maney, twice found guilty of Fuller-Sandys’ murder, was fully acquitted as a result of last year’s Court of Appeal decision after prosecutors acknowledged a miscarriage of justice had occurred. But Stone was granted only a retrial for reasons that were at the time suppressed.  Mark Henriksen and Colin Maney - Gail Maney’s brother - were acquitted by the same appellate panel of being accessories to Fuller-Sandys’ murder.  Stephen Stone before he was convicted of the murders of Dean Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens.  Prosecutors had alleged during the previous trials that Gail Maney ordered Stone to kill Fuller-Sandys because he had stolen drugs, money and leather goods from her.  After Fuller-Sandys stopped by the flat on his way to a fishing trip, it was alleged, he was confronted and shot in the garage in front of numerous witnesses. Prosecutors said the gun was passed around and others were encouraged to shoot him.  Fuller-Sandys’ body was then buried at Woodhill Forest before his car was dumped at the fishing spot in Whatipu, they alleged.  It was alleged Stone then targeted Stephens because she was present at the first killing and he feared she would talk. Her body wouldn’t be discovered until three years later, buried near the Muriwai Golf Club.  Gail Maney and her brother Colin Maney arrive at the Court of Appeal in Wellington in August 2024 for their hearing over their convictions connected to the murder of Deane Fuller-Sandys. Photo / Mark Mitchell  In the decision released last year, the Court of Appeal noted that two of the four witnesses who said they were present during the first shooting have since recanted.  It was also noted that a detective had incorrectly told the court during previous trials that no witnesses had been shown statements by any other witness. That contributed to a miscarriage of justice along with the detective’s failure to disclose his communications with a lawyer representing one of the witnesses.  The detective, Mark Franklin, would later be sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for selling cannabis after quitting the force and moving to Rarotonga.  Gail Maney has repeatedly insisted over the years that she never met Fuller-Sandys and that she didn’t meet Stone until after Fuller-Sandys vanished. She told ob体育接口 in October that she was relieved her conviction had finally been quashed but was confused as to why a retrial was ordered for Stone.  “Basically none of this happened, we’re all innocent people and to me, it doesn’t make any sense,” she explained. “He doesn’t deserve to be there [in jail] any more than me.”  Prosecutors had initially indicated they would announce in December whether they intended to retry Stone or drop the charges. Time was needed, in part, to explore the possibility of further DNA testing. But extensions were sought ahead of the December hearing and again in March.  The DNA testing did not return any substantial findings, the Crown acknowledged today.  Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.  Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:20:45 Z /news/crime/wellington-woman-charged-after-acid-attack-on-man/ /news/crime/wellington-woman-charged-after-acid-attack-on-man/ A 51-year-old woman has been charged after an acid attack on a man in Wellington. Police were called to a Sim St address in Johnsonville at 11.10pm yesterday. “The victim received acid burns to an arm and clothing, and was treated by an ambulance crew at the scene,” a police spokesperson said. The offender then fled the home before emergency services arrived, but was captured shortly after at a Kipling St property about 1.50am. She was taken into custody without incident. The woman, who police said is a local in the area, has been charged with throwing acid with intent to injure and is expected to appear in the Wellington District Court today. Sleepless night after ‘commotion’ A man named George who lives in the adjoining flat said a man and woman had moved in there about a month ago and had fought loudly from the first day. “First day they moved in they were arguing, smashing windows,” George, who has lived there for 15 years. “At least it was on their side and not mine.” He did not hear a fight last night but said he heard a commotion when emergency services arrived. “I heard the cops banging on their door. “There were two hazmat trucks and a couple of other fire engines on the scene. George said he heard his name mentioned through the wall by a police officer and, not realizing it was the police, went outside to yell over the fence: “Oi, who the bloody hell do you want you pricks?” He then discovered “Oh crap it’s a cop.” George said he didn’t manage to get any sleep last night. He said fighting couples are common in the adjoining flats, noting the previous tenants were much the same. Another neighbour across the street did not hear anything happening last night but said he tried to stay away from the house on the corner. He said he often heard people screaming at the house about two or three times a week. A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said they were called to Kipling St just after 1am to assist police. They sent five fire trucks and four support vehicles to the scene. A police spokesperson said inquiries were ongoing. Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:16:46 Z /news/crime/katherine-hughes-jailed-after-christchurch-knife-attack-on-husband-with-parkinson-s/ /news/crime/katherine-hughes-jailed-after-christchurch-knife-attack-on-husband-with-parkinson-s/ Katherine Mary Hughes was sentenced to two years in jail for attempted wounding with intent. Her husband, Christopher Hughes, was attacked with a carving knife during a struggle at their home. A protection order was issued and she was told not to contact the victim. A man with advanced Parkinson’s disease woke to find his wife standing at the end of his bed holding a knife. Katherine Mary Hughes told Christopher Robin Hughes she was going to kill him and then kill herself. A lengthy struggle between the couple, who had been married for five decades, ensued as Katherine tried to stab her husband, whom she had cared for amid his health battles. The encounter spilled from Christopher’s bedroom to the living room of their shared Christchurch home, before culminating with Katherine thrusting the knife into her chest. Christopher received cuts to his hands in the February 1, 2023, struggle, and Katherine spent months recovering in the hospital from the self-inflicted knife wound. Today, the 69-year-old appeared in the High Court at Christchurch for sentencing in relation to the attack. Their daughter, Angela Hughes, watched via audio-visual link from Australia as her mother was sentenced. Angela said, through her victim impact statement read to the court, that Katherine’s offending had torn their family apart. Katherine had since been cut off by her husband, her three children and four grandchildren. Angela said the attack had changed her life, causing her to have regular nightmares and lost sleep due to stress. She had to take time off work and lost her job as a result. She said it took her three months to regain her confidence to find another job. “My husband and children have had to endure my mood changes. This woman was meant to be a loving wife, but instead she did the absolute opposite,” Angela said in her statement. “Will she hunt him down when she is released from prison?” Justice Jonathan Eaton said Christopher was in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease when he awoke in the early evening to find Katherine, his sole caregiver, standing over his bed, shaking, telling him she was going to end it for both of them. She produced the knife and a struggle ensued. Christopher found it difficult to disarm her but he eventually broke free and triggered a St John alarm. Katherine started swinging a stick vacuum cleaner at him while holding the knife before stabbing herself. She narrowly missed her heart and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Justice Eaton said Katherine denied her husband’s account of events and had told police he was mistaken due to his medical condition. Police had found notes in their house, penned by her saying Christopher had never loved her, that she could finish it and that they couldn’t do it anymore. Katherine was initially charged with attempted murder, which she planned to defend at trial. Justice Eaton said he had heard Christopher’s evidence in advance, due to his deteriorating health. But Katherine then pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Justice Eaton said while she had received little support and became isolated over the years, it was clear she was resentful, did not take responsibility for her actions and blamed her husband. “It could have only left enduring pain for him and your family,” the judge said. Crown prosecutor Penny Brown said Christopher was highly vulnerable and entirely dependent on his wife for his care. He should have been safe when he went to bed but Katherine breached that trust, Brown submitted. She said there was an element of premeditation as there was a background of family harm, including prior threats with a knife. Defence lawyer Olivia Jarvis said Katherine had spent significant time in custody since the attack and suggested intensive supervision would be beneficial. Jarvis said her client had not been able to receive treatment while on remand. Justice Eaton said Katherine’s offending was not motivated by love or compassion. “Obviously she was stressed, but it wasn’t because of him, it was self-centred. “This was driven by an underlying sense of animosity to her husband. “Your motivation was to end your own suffering, you felt highly stressed and felt unsupported, you were exhausted, desperate, you were not acting out of mercy.” The judge took a starting point of three years and two months’ imprisonment before applying 15% credit for Katherine’s guilty plea, 10% for her previous good character, and 5% for her mental health. He then sentenced her to two years in prison and imposed a protection order, warning her not to contact the victim. Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the HC Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of Cook Islands News. Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:37:13 Z /news/crime/maple-syrup-meth-bust-melbourne-resident-andy-tuumaga-jailed-for-record-713kg-haul-in-auckland/ /news/crime/maple-syrup-meth-bust-melbourne-resident-andy-tuumaga-jailed-for-record-713kg-haul-in-auckland/ Authorities seized 713kg of methamphetamine concealed in maple syrup containers, intended for distribution in Australasia. Andy Oloafofa Tumaaga was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for his role in the operation. Justice Gerard van Bohemen noted Tumaaga’s financial motivation and lack of prior criminal record. It was the biggest methamphetamine seizure at the border that law enforcement had ever seen: a whopping 713kg, thought to be roughly a year’s supply for every addict in New Zealand, which could have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars on the streets. But a sloppy attempt to conceal the drugs – inside maple syrup containers with bottoms that had been cut off and hastily taped back into place – might have contributed to the otherwise sophisticated and grandiose plan’s downfall. Former Kelston Boys’ High School prefect and well-known Melbourne entertainment industry figure Andy Oloafofa Tumaaga, 47, appeared in the High Court at Auckland for sentencing today after admitting he was the intended recipient of a large portion of the massive shipment. “You’ve taken full responsibility for your actions,” Justice Gerard van Bohemen said as he ordered a sentence of 17 and a half years’ imprisonment – down from what had been a 30-year starting point before discounts were factored in. He noted Tummaga had no prior criminal records in New Zealand or Australia, didn’t use drugs himself and rarely drank. In the two years since his arrest, he has attended church regularly and expressed shame for his involvement in the scheme, the judge noted. His motivation, the judge said, appeared to be purely financial – a promised $600,000 payoff for receiving and extracting the drugs before on-selling them and training others to do money drops. Syrup scheme unravels Police intercepted and arrested Tuumaga in February 2023 as he was driving to the stash at a warehouse in Helensville, north of Auckland. He didn’t yet know it, but investigators with the police National Organised Crime Group and Customs had been on to him for weeks, monitoring his calls and movements. They had obtained a warrant from the High Court on January 20, six days after 18 pallets of Prestige brand maple syrup arrived at Ports of Auckland via a cargo ship from Canada. Operation Regis intercepted more than 700 kilograms of methamphetamine in 2023. Methamphetamine was concealed in bottles of maple syrup. Photo / NZ Police The hundreds of bottles were each labelled as containing 4 litres of maple syrup. Many of them did, in fact, contain syrup. But eight of the pallets contained dummy containers, court documents state. “The concealment was rudimentary,” according to the agreed summary of facts for the case obtained by the Herald. “ ... The bottom of each bottle [was] sliced, a bag of methamphetamine pushed in and then sand and stones added to make up the weight ... Then the bottom of the bottles were secured with tape.” The maple syrup meth was already in crystal form, unlike a similar but unrelated case that would come to light later that year in which the drug was smuggled in liquid form inside cans of Canadian beer and kombucha. That case resulted in a manslaughter conviction and a 21-year sentence earlier this year for Himatjit “Jimmy” Kahlon after Fonterra co-worker Aiden Sagala, 21, overdosed while unwittingly sipping from a tainted can. His co-defendant, a well-known businessman with permanent name suppression, was not charged with manslaughter but sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment on drug charges alone. Their haul, 747kg, edged out the record that had been set by the 34kg-lighter maple syrup bust just months earlier. Authorities have previously said they were tipped off about the illicit syrup shipment ahead of time thanks to intelligence from Canadian authorities. They also received help from Australian authorities, believing the shipment was intended for distribution across the wider Australasian underground market. The 713kg could have been divided into about 35 million doses worth an estimated $250m, authorities have estimated. That represented almost the entirety of how much methamphetamine had been consumed in New Zealand the year prior, authorities believed based on wastewater testing. Nationwide consumption since then, however, is believed to have increased substantially, according to the same testing methods. Paperwork on the shipment showed that eight of the pallets – six of which, it would turn out, contained concealed methamphetamine – were to be delivered to “Tom” in Helensville. Operation Regis intercepted more than 700 kilograms of methamphetamine in 2023. Methamphetamine was concealed in bottles of maple syrup. Photo / NZ Police Tuumaga – who grew up in New Zealand and the United States but had lived in Australia since he was 18 – now admits as part of his guilty plea that he was “Tom”. Of the 713kg haul, it was expected that between 550kg and 560kg would be delivered to him, the court was told today. Authorities were already eavesdropping on his calls when he inquired about the shipment on January 26 with the broker tasked with getting it through Customs. He then returned to Australia for several days before returning on February 1, spending the next week texting “regularly” to arrange the delivery. On February 8, police and Customs arranged for a controlled delivery of the syrup containers to the Helensville address, with most of the drugs having already been secretly removed. Authorities then raided the property, allegedly catching four men in the act of trying to open the syrup bottles. Each of those men have pleaded not guilty and await trial. Tuumaga was not present during the delivery or the raid, having remained at a home about an hour away in Papatoetoe, South Auckland. However, he hired a van that same afternoon and began driving to Helensvile after his calls and texts to one of the men who were arrested went unanswered. “MrTuumaga was arrested at the Helensville township by police,” the agreed summary of facts states. “When arrested, Mr Tuumaga’s phone showed he had the map app open for directions to [the nearby warehouse].” Lieutenant or manager? Tuumaga faced sentences of up to life imprisonment after pleading guilty in January to one charge each of importing methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine for supply. Defence lawyer Marie Dyhrberg, KC, asked today that the judge consider a starting point of 30 years rather than life imprisonment despite it having been a record-breaking bust at the time. She argued her client was a “trusted lieutenant” in a large-scale scheme being directed from overseas but he did not have a management role – a distinction that can have a significant impact on sentence lengths. Operation Regis intercepted more than 700 kilograms of methamphetamine earlier in 2023. Methamphetamine was concealed in bottles of maple syrup. Photo / NZ Police Crown prosecutor Kristy Li disagreed about his role, pointing out that he would have trained others to do money drops had the import been successful. “He would have had a responsibility to direct others in a very crucial part of the operation,” she said. Even if not the top manager, Li said he would have had some knowledge of the scale of the import based on the large warehouse he found, the fact he hired a rental van to move the drugs, the number of pallets involved and the $600,000 compensation he was expecting. She sought a starting point of 32 years but acknowledged he was due a number of discounts. Li also sought a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, pointing out that such sentences had been imposed for both co-defendants in the recent meth beer sentencing. “Given the nature and scale of the [maple syrup case] offending, it is something that needs to be considered by Your Honour,” the prosecutor said of the minimum term. “Denunciation and deterrence have to be at the forefront of the court’s mind.” Justice van Bohemen noted that Tuumaga spent his young childhood in a household marred by domestic violence before being adopted by his uncle and moving to America for five years. He returned to New Zealand with his uncle at age 10 and seemed to excel in school, participating in the debate team and band and becoming a prefect at Kelston Boys’ High School in Auckland. Operation Regis intercepted more than 700 kilograms of methamphetamine in 2023. Methamphetamine was concealed in bottles of maple syrup. Photo / NZ Police He moved to Australia with his partner as a young adult and spent the next two decades working in nightclubs, co-owning a club at one point. He was also a popular DJ and ran a marketing business for concerts and music festivals. As part of his business, he made frequent trips back to New Zealand. Tuumaga reported that his life started to spiral, and he was tempted to participate in what appeared to be a fast cash scheme, after his long-term relationship soured due to his partner’s infidelity. He submitted to the court a letter of apology and reference letters from supporters, some of whom described relief efforts Tuumaga had participated in after the Brisbane flooding in 2011 and the Samoa measles outbreak in 2019. “Your fall from grace was a single episode,” the judge said, allowing discounts for his guilty plea, his prior good character, remorse and his personal circumstances. The judge concluded that Tuumaga did not have a significant management role in the operation. He also decided that a minimum term of imprisonment wouldn’t be necessary, noting that Tuumaga will already have to serve one-third of his sentence before he can begin to apply for parole, which equates to just under six years. “Your finite sentence is lengthy already,” Justice van Bohemen said. “It should be a significant deterrent to drug-related offending.” Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand. Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:24 Z /news/crime/supreme-court-turns-down-colombian-farm-worker-s-bid-to-seek-discharge-over-cocaine-conviction/ /news/crime/supreme-court-turns-down-colombian-farm-worker-s-bid-to-seek-discharge-over-cocaine-conviction/ Ruth Yanid Ramirez-Alfonso has lost her fight to avoid a conviction for importing cocaine. She was part of a group accused of importing 50kg of cocaine from Colombia. The Supreme Court dismissed her appeal, upholding her conviction and potential deportation. A Colombian national “roped” into importing cocaine while working on a New Zealand farm has lost her fight to avoid a conviction. Ruth Yanid Ramirez-Alfonso was among eight people arrested in 2021 in one of New Zealand’s biggest drug busts. She pleaded not guilty to being involved in importing drugs, but later admitted a representative charge of importing cocaine. It landed her in prison last year after she unsuccessfully sought a discharge without conviction. Ramirez-Alfonso then appealed against the High Court’s decision. After the Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal, Ramirez-Alfonso went to the Supreme Court to try again, but that too has now failed. The conviction stands, and so does the likelihood she will be deported. Ramirez-Alfonso, then 38, was part of a group accused of bringing 50kg of cocaine worth millions of dollars from Colombia into New Zealand. In the Supreme Court’s decision this month, it said Alfonso had been a migrant worker employed on dairy farms in South Canterbury. The drug syndicate she was linked to used farm workers as cover for their cocaine importation operation, the decision noted. The charge, for which Ramirez-Alfonso was sent to prison, was linked to her involvement in the importation of 1.8 kg of cocaine - she had supplied a residential address for its receipt in three separate packages between October 2019 and December 2021. She received $5000 as well as “another cash sum” which she claimed was a lesser amount for the assistance she provided, the court said. Ramirez-Alfonso was sentenced last July to three years and six months’ imprisonment and issued with a deportation liability notice. The High Court accepted she had played a lesser role in the offending, and handed out a sentence that reflected her reduced role in the operation, her “initial naivety” and her lack of insight into the amount of drugs being imported. From a starting point of five years and six months, the court arrived at the end sentence, taking into account personal factors, the disproportionate impact of imprisonment in this country and the guilty plea. In rejecting the application for discharge without conviction, the court found the risk of deportation was not out of all proportion to the offending, as it was a “predictable risk” faced by offenders in Ramirez-Alfonso’s position. The Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court’s categorisation of the offending as serious, and accepted a conviction was nonetheless “a proportional and unsurprising consequence” of this type of offending. Ramirez-Alfonso argued her offending was the result of “naivete and exploitation” and asked the Supreme Court to give these concepts further consideration. She submitted that the High Court accepted she was drawn into the offending by her “friends”, and exploited in her occupation as a farm worker and, consequently, vulnerable to manipulation. She also submitted that the Court of Appeal did not properly engage with exploitation as a factor mitigating offender culpability. In this case, that exploitative context included the applicant’s relative isolation in this country, leading to significant vulnerability, the Supreme Court noted in its decision. Justices Joe Williams, Stephen Kós and Forrest Miller said while exploitation and vulnerability in the context of migrant labour was potentially a matter of general and public importance, defining what that meant was, generally speaking, “intensely factual”. “We are not satisfied that, on these facts, the issue is squarely raised,” they said. Accordingly, they saw no risk of a miscarriage of justice and did not consider it necessary in the interests of justice to hear and determine the proposed appeal. Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:44:05 Z /news/crime/supreme-court-dismisses-rapist-damin-cook-s-appeal-in-sexsomina-case/ /news/crime/supreme-court-dismisses-rapist-damin-cook-s-appeal-in-sexsomina-case/ Warning: This article contains distressing content. Damin Peter Cook claims he was asleep when he raped a woman. He used members of his family, former partners and expert psychiatric evidence to argue his defence - that sexsomnia was the cause of the sex attack. The woman had passed out after a night of drinking at a birthday party held at a Christchurch flat in September 2019. He and some others put her in his bed, and she was later woken by Cook, who was having sex with her. The woman was afraid and pretended to be asleep but, shortly after, she left the bedroom and told a friend what happened, and the police were alerted. At trial, he claimed a defence of sexsomnia, a type of parasomnia or movement disorder that occurs during sleep, and that he has no memory of the incident. While Cook cited supporting evidence from family members, former partners, and expert psychiatric evidence, a jury didn’t buy it, agreeing he was not asleep when he raped the unconscious woman. In September 2022, he was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court to eight years in prison on one charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and one charge of sexual violation by rape. Cook went on to take his case to the Court of Appeal, challenging his convictions and sentence. While his appeal against conviction was dismissed, his sentence was quashed and replaced with a jail term of seven years after the appeal court found the sentencing judge’s starting point was too high. Cook then turned to the Supreme Court to have another go at having his convictions overturned. But today, the Supreme Court released its unanimous decision to dismiss Cook’s appeal. The question for the senior court was whether the Court of Appeal was correct to classify the defence advanced as one of insanity. Cook argued that sexsomnia, like other parasomnias, was properly classified as a form of sane automatism, a legal term that refers to a state where a person’s actions are involuntary or unintentional due to a transient, non-recurrent mental malfunction, but not due to a disease of the mind. His defence said it plainly involved a lack of conscious volition. The Crown argued sexsomnia was properly classified as a disease of the mind, a legal concept which refers to various mental conditions. The Supreme Court said sane automatism involved an act committed without conscious volition and not caused by a disease of the mind. Insanity relevantly involved a disease of the mind, making the person incapable of understanding the nature of their act, the ruling stated. “The defence of sane automatism is available only where the absence of conscious volition arises from some event or condition not properly classified as a disease of the mind. “Insanity was therefore the only defence that could properly be put to the jury in this case.” SEXUAL HARM Where to get help:If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:• Call 0800 044 334• Text 4334• Email support@safetotalk.nz• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nzAlternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault. Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the HC Post, based in Whangamata. He was previously deputy editor of Cook Islands News. Mon, 28 Apr 2025 03:47:57 Z /news/crime/police-investigate-fire-at-just-funerals-in-m%C4%81ngere-bridge-south-auckland/ /news/crime/police-investigate-fire-at-just-funerals-in-m%C4%81ngere-bridge-south-auckland/ Police are investigating after four people were seen running away from an Auckland funeral home damaged in an overnight blaze. Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said police investigations are under way following a fire at Just Funerals in Māngere Bridge last night. Emergency services were called after a small fire broke out at the Kirkbride Rd premises at about 11.50pm. “Four people were seen running from the area following the fire, and enquiries are now under way to identify and locate them,” Hayward said. “The building sustained minor damage and there were no injuries reported as a result,” he said. Scene guards remained in place while an examination of the damage was under way today. “Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area or who may have information to assist with this investigation,” Hayward said. Fire and Emergency crews from South Auckland stations have attended an unexplained fire at Just Funerals in Māngere Bridge overnight, with police placing a scene guard on the site. Photo / Hayden Woodward Contact police via 105 or provide information online by using Update My Report. Reference file number 250428/4528. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei. Sun, 27 Apr 2025 21:39:19 Z /news/crime/juliana-herrera-murder-coroner-to-probe-post-prison-handling-of-violent-sex-offender-who-killed-neighbour/ /news/crime/juliana-herrera-murder-coroner-to-probe-post-prison-handling-of-violent-sex-offender-who-killed-neighbour/ An inquest into the murder of Juliana Herrera by Joseph Brider, released on parole, begins today. Brider, a convicted rapist, was released with conditions but became obsessed and killed Herrera. Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame will examine Brider’s release and management to prevent future tragedies. An inquest into the brutal murder of a Colombian woman in her Christchurch flat by a man released on parole just 72 days earlier will begin today. Juliana Herrera, 37, was found dead in her Addington home in January 2022. She had been murdered after a prolonged physical and sexual attack by her neighbour Joseph Brider. Brider was a convicted rapist who had been granted parole – after being refused five times – just 72 days earlier. He was released from prison on strict conditions, including GPS monitoring and a curfew. Almost immediately after moving into the unit beside Herrera, he became obsessed with her. Juliana Herrera was killed in January 2022 in her Christchurch home. Photo / Supplied Brider later broke into her home while she was asleep, physically and sexually assaulted her and stabbed her to death. He was sentenced to life in prison with preventive detention. Both the Parole Board and Corrections reviewed Brider’s case. The Parole Board only agreed to release Brider – shortly before his sentence end date – so they could impose conditions and put monitoring in place. That monitoring, including GPS tracking and a curfew, fell to Corrections once Brider was living outside the wire. A review of the board decision concluded that the decision to release Brider was “reasonable” based on the information available at the time. The Corrections review determined the actions of department staff “neither caused nor could have prevented this offending”. However, “a number of steps” have been taken to strengthen its processes. Joseph James Brider (left) with family members. His family have not spoken about his offending. Photo / Supplied The Pathway Trust was the organisation that took Brider on when was released. Pathway is a registered charity that delivers reintegration services to prisoners as part of its philosophy of “supporting the most vulnerable in the community”. The Supreme Court has ruled there is “legitimate public interest” in naming Pathway, pointing out there was no “wrongdoing” by the organisation in relation to the recidivist offender. It had been working with Brider – known to be “a high-risk offender with complex needs” – in prison since June 2021 as part of an intensive rehabilitation programme. The organisation was granted permanent suppression in the High Court at Christchurch but the Herald successfully appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal and the details were published in 2024. “Pathway has no connection with Mr Brider’s offending,” said Justice Forrest Miller. “We accept that decisions about Mr Brider’s accommodation, his release conditions and public notification ultimately rested with Corrections and the Parole Board. “There may very well be nothing for which Pathway should be held accountable. But there is still a clear public interest in Pathway’s role, arising from its involvement in Corrections processes and its work with Mr Brider.” Juliana Herrera was 37 when she died. She had moved to New Zealand from Colombia. Photo / Supplied Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame will today begin the last of the investigations into Herrera’s death. The inquest in the Christchurch District Court is set to run for two weeks, during which time the coroner will hear evidence from witnesses on about 20 issues. The issues relate to Brider’s pre-release period, release, post-release accommodation and management. Coroner Cunninghame will look closely at the requirement for Brider to disclose to his probation officer as early as possible “details of any intimate relationship which commenced, resumed or terminated”. She will canvass how that was monitored and whether the requirement of Brider to self-report “misplaced in that it left unknowing women exposed to undue risk”. She will also probe his electronic monitoring and “why was there no urgent response when Brider left his property on the night of the murder” and whether the community should have been informed of his presence and previous offending. Coroner Cunninghame will then consider whether comments or recommendations should be made in relation to any of the issues that could prevent similar tragedies from happening in future. Herrera was born and raised in Colombia but moved to New Zealand about 10 years before her death, looking for a safer, calmer life. Her sister Saray Bonilla earlier told the Herald that their home area was rife with assaults, robberies, violent crime and Herrera wanted a future free from danger. Juliana moved to Christchurch for a safer life. Photo / Facebook She chose Christchurch and her dream came true – she was happy and secure, not scared or worried. “Juliana was a woman with a great heart – always looking after her mum and very proud to be an aunty,” said Bonilla. “It didn’t matter how her mood was, she always gave people a big smile. “Juliana was a gentle, considerate and kind person. She could seem introverted and reserved, but once you got to know her, you realised she was very cheerful and kind-hearted. “She was always willing to help. Her love filled our hearts.” Bonilla said talking about her slain sister was “really hard”. “It has been one of the most difficult moments of our lives,” she said. Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:55:01 Z /news/crime/judge-rejects-nelson-man-s-emergency-excuse-for-driving-while-drunk-for-the-seventh-time/ /news/crime/judge-rejects-nelson-man-s-emergency-excuse-for-driving-while-drunk-for-the-seventh-time/ A man tried arguing a family emergency was the reason he chose to drink-drive, but a judge was not buying it. Gregory Robinson has now logged his seventh conviction for driving while over the alcohol limit, and despite his efforts to avoid being disqualified, he’s now off the road for a year and serving a sentence of community detention. Robinson was at dinner with friends on a Saturday night in July last year when he got a message about a “family emergency”. His former partner said she needed to get her daughter to the hospital and she would be dropping Robinson’s son at his house. Robinson had already drunk some Bourbon pre-mix drinks but thought he would be okay to drive. He was stopped by the police for speeding on State Highway 60 on his way to Richmond, near Nelson. A breath test showed him with 502 microgrammes of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit for drivers aged 20 and over is 250mcg, and infringement notices are issued for readings under 400mcg. He later admitted a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol on a third or subsequent time. Robinson has six previous drink-drive convictions dating back to 1980. His most recent was in 2016. The self-employed builder tried arguing his reason this time was good enough to prevent him being disqualified from driving. But Judge Tony Snell said during last week’s sentencing in the Nelson District Court he had plenty of options to get home. Rather than get behind the wheel himself, he could have taken a taxi or asked a friend to drive him home. Judge Snell said Robinson’s view that he felt he was under the limit at the time was speculation, and he was not responding to a genuine emergency when he decided to drive. “Your choice to drive may have been motivated by your need to get home, but it was a poor decision. “It was made by you, thinking you were under the limit, rather than any emergency to get home.” He declined Robinson’s application to avoid mandatory disqualification. Judge Snell also noted Robinson’s 39 previous convictions for a “wide range” of offences, from driving to violence, drugs, and dishonesty, and this time, the offending was aggravated by his driving over the speed limit. The judge noted Robinson, who worked in a physical role as a builder, claimed he was unable to do community work for health reasons. Robinson was given credit for the “modest” breath alcohol reading and his early guilty plea. He was sentenced to six months of supervision, with three months of community detention, which was imposed with an 8pm-to-6am curfew. Robinson was also disqualified from driving for a year. Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Fri, 25 Apr 2025 02:06:27 Z /news/crime/nelson-man-jailed-after-supplying-younger-sister-with-alcohol-and-drugs-sexually-violating-her/ /news/crime/nelson-man-jailed-after-supplying-younger-sister-with-alcohol-and-drugs-sexually-violating-her/ Warning: This story includes details of sexual offending that may upset some readers. A teenage girl was sexually violated by her older brother after he plied her with drugs and alcohol during a Christmas trip to his home. Every day since, she has wanted to die. Now, the man who shattered his sister’s life and tore apart his family has been sent to prison and registered as a child sex offender. He had initially been charged with rape, but later admitted a lesser charge of unlawful sexual connection with a person under 16, plus other charges linked to his supplying the victim with alcohol and drugs. It saved the victim from having to give evidence at a trial, Judge Stephen Harrop said during sentencing in the Nelson District Court last week. He also described the offending as none other than incest. The victim, who was not in court for the sentencing, said in her victim impact statement that for a long time she had felt it had been her fault and had asked why her brother, now in his early 20s, had thought it was okay to do what he did. When Judge Harrop summarised her statement, he told the defendant: “If there was a short way to tell you how much this has affected her, she would say she wished you had killed her afterwards”. She wrote that she would have preferred dying over losing the brother she had loved and who had betrayed her in such a way. “She misses you and hates you, and wanted to die every day. It felt like she was slowly dying,” Judge Harrop read from her statement. He said the extent of damage caused was evident in the mother’s statement. The woman said no words existed that spoke of the canyon left in her heart and body. “You damaged my baby. You have changed her pathway in life, and your younger sister who tried to help,” she said. The defendant, whose name is suppressed to protect the victim and wider family, was homeless and living in a tent and had been cut off by his family. Defence lawyer Tony Bamford said in arguing for a sentence other than prison, the personal loss was the greatest penalty a young man in his situation could ever suffer. Crown prosecutor Jeremy Cameron said in asking the court to refrain from focusing on any latent drug or alcohol problem that the defendant’s conscious decision to disinhibit himself in such a way did not reduce his moral culpability. Cameron said a key defining feature was the relationship between the pair and the breach of trust. A family torn apart In December 2023, the victim travelled to Nelson with family to visit the defendant and another sibling over Christmas. On December 23, the victim and her younger sister were alone with the defendant in his house when he offered the victim cannabis. He then got a bottle of spirits from the fridge, which was a quarter full, and the pair had several shots until the bottle was finished, the summary of facts said. The defendant then got more alcohol, which he offered to the victim, before she lay down to rest on her mattress in the defendant’s room. The summary said the victim was so affected by alcohol and cannabis that she had difficulty recalling what happened next. The younger sister heard what was happening in the room and “covered her ears and cried”. She messaged another sibling, who told her to go into the room. The younger sister’s attempt to go into the room interrupted what was described as sexual activity. The other sibling arranged for a friend to pick up her sisters, as the defendant disposed of the sheets in a rubbish bin outside a supermarket. No explanation On December 26, the victim’s mother went to the police. A medical examination and police interview followed. In February 2024, the defendant turned up voluntarily at the Nelson Police Station, where he admitted supplying cannabis and alcohol to his sister and that they were both intoxicated. He also admitted to having a sexual connection with her, but that it was “consensual”. Judge Harrop said that the victim was in no way capable of consent. “There’s no suggestion you did this to achieve a sexual goal; it was, however, highly relevant. “You rendered her intoxicated and vulnerable.” The judge accepted that the defendant was remorseful, but there was little to explain why he had done it. From a starting point of four years in prison, the defendant was awarded credit for his guilty pleas, plus further credit for his youth and ability to rehabilitate. Judge Harrop acknowledged that prison would be “very difficult” and counter-productive for a young person, but in weighing the gravity of the offending, he was satisfied such a sentence was appropriate. The defendant was sentenced to two years and two months’ imprisonment on the charge of unlawful sexual connection. He was sentenced to one month in prison, to be served concurrently, on the charge of supplying cannabis, and was convicted and discharged for supplying alcohol to a minor. The defendant’s partner could be heard sobbing outside court as he was handcuffed and led away to begin his sentence. SEXUAL HARM Where to get help:If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:• Call 0800 044 334• Text 4334• Email support@safetotalk.nz• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nzAlternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault. Safe to talk - He pai ki tekōreroSafe to talk - He pai ki te kōrero Sexual Harm. Do you want to talk? (2 MB) https://safetotalk.nz/ New Zealand PoliceNew Zealand Police Find Police stations by map New Zealand Police Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:28:08 Z /news/crime/st-johns-rd-homicide-court-appearance-for-16yo-charged-with-murder-32yo-woman-also-arrested/ /news/crime/st-johns-rd-homicide-court-appearance-for-16yo-charged-with-murder-32yo-woman-also-arrested/ A 16-year-old appeared in court charged with aggravated robbery and murder after the death of Kyle Whorrall. Whorrall, a 33-year-old PhD student, was attacked at an Auckland bus stop. A 32-year-old North Shore woman has also been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. The teenager accused of murdering 33-year-old American entomology student Kyle Whorrall has been remanded in custody. He appeared in the Auckland District Court today charged with aggravated robbery and murder. His case has been transferred to the High Court at Auckland for his next appearance on May 14. As a youth, he has automatic name suppression. A 32-year-old, charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, also appeared and was granted interim name suppression. Charging documents seen by the Herald allege she “actively suppressed” evidence against the teen by selling a car to help him escape after arrest. She has been remanded until the same date without plea. Auckland University student Kyle Whorrall was attacked at a bus stop and died later in hospital. Police say two occupants of the erratically-driven vehicle attacked Whorrall while he was sitting alone at a bus stop in Meadowbank on Saturday night. Whorrall was struck with a “long” weapon at around 10pm, suffering multiple head injuries, and later died in hospital. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said this morning police had executed a search warrant late yesterday afternoon at an address in Beach Haven, on Auckland’s North Shore. “A 16-year-old male was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and murder.” Police had “obtained further information” about a black SUV that became the subject of a media appeal when Baldwin held a press conference about the case on Tuesday. “The Operation Aberfeldy team commenced investigations into this vehicle of interest and its movements. “I can confirm we have now located this vehicle on the North Shore and it has been seized by police with a detailed forensic examination under way.” Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin Police at a stand-up earlier this week about the fatal St Johns Rd bus stop attack. Photo / Michael Craig Baldwin said police were aware there were other occupants in the vehicle at the time of the crime. “This investigation is by no means over. “Our inquiries are ongoing to locate these persons of interest, and I encourage them to do the right thing and come into their nearest police station or phone us.” Baldwin acknowledged the support of the community, and further afield. “There has been a stream of information that has come into us, and we are working through this. “We value and appreciate the community support.” Baldwin said police were still working to fully understand the events of Saturday night. Vigil held for Kyle Whorrall at Meadowbank bus stop On Thursday morning a tearful vigil was held at a bus stop on St Johns Rd to pay tribute to Whorrall. Kyle’s flatmates, who described themselves as his “chosen family”, broke down as they tried to speak. “He was gentle, he was kind, he was very thoughtful,” one of the five flatmates said. They loved how he would “geek out” over the “weirdest things” that he would love. They said he was passionate, about more than just bugs. Kyle Whorrall's flatmates at a vigil for him at St Johns Rd on April 24, 2025. Photo / Dean Purcell He loved sewing and his stuffed animals and was a fantastic friend. He was a master board game player and was very social despite his shy nature. “He cared so deeply about what he did… the sweetest person.” The person holding the ceremony, from the St John’s Theological College, shared messages from Whorrall’s family overseas and the community. A GoFundMe has been set up to support Whorrall’s family. To donate please click here “His life was taken in a foreign land. This tragedy has affected us all very deeply. So today we gather here to show our aroha for his family, his friends and colleagues. “We gather in solidarity, in love and in pain. We will not fully understand how hard and how painful this must be [for his family]. “No matter how long we have been here… our neighbourhood has been a peaceful and lovely place to live." A friend said he was quiet and shy, but the group gathered was a “true testament” of his character. Anyone with information is being asked to contact police online or call 105 using the reference number 250419/9858. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:00:31 Z /news/crime/cocaine-bust-five-duffle-bags-with-30m-worth-of-illicit-drug-found-in-auckland-business/ /news/crime/cocaine-bust-five-duffle-bags-with-30m-worth-of-illicit-drug-found-in-auckland-business/ Five duffle bags with cocaine worth nearly $30 million were found at a Mt Wellington business. Police and Customs are investigating the container’s movements and destination after its transit through Central America. No arrests have been made; Police urge anyone with information to contact them. Five duffel bags stacked with bricks of cocaine valued at close to $30m have been discovered at an Auckland business. Police said they were called to a Mt Wellington premises on Carbine Rd yesterday, after a worker unloading a shipping container of building materials found the bags. Auckland City CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Anthony Darvill said more than 75 packages of cocaine wrapped in cellophane were located in the duffel bags. Five duffle bags stacked with bricks of cocaine valued at close to $30 million have been unpacked at a Mount Wellington business. Photo / NZ Police “An investigation between police and customs is now under way following yesterday’s seizure. “The joint investigation will focus on the movements of the container and its eventual destination,” he said. “What we do know is that the container transited through Central America in late March 2025 on its way to New Zealand,” Darvill said. Five duffle bags stacked with bricks of cocaine valued at close to $30 million have been unpacked at a Mount Wellington business. Photo / NZ Police No arrests have been made, and at this stage police said they were not releasing any further details as investigations remain ongoing. Customs’ acting investigations manager Rachael Manning said the border control agency was committed to working in collaboration with police to play their part in preventing drugs from reaching communities where they caused significant social harm. If you have any information that may assist the police in identifying and locating those involved in the supply of drugs or organised criminal groups you can report information to the police via 105 if it’s after the fact or 111 if it is happening now. Thu, 24 Apr 2025 01:23:23 Z /news/crime/olivia-podmore-coronial-inquest-ends-with-painful-realities-shocking-insights-and-shameful-conduct/ /news/crime/olivia-podmore-coronial-inquest-ends-with-painful-realities-shocking-insights-and-shameful-conduct/ A coronial inquest has concluded in Christchurch into the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore in a suspected suicide on August 9, 2021, one day after the Tokyo Olympics ended. The Herald revealed a litany of misconduct at Cycling NZ relating to Podmore, including pressure on her to lie during a 2018 investigation into impropriety at the sporting body. A damning 2022 report by Mike Heron, KC, found a number of cultural and structural deficiencies at Cycling NZ. Olivia Podmore’s family got the answers they were seeking, but it only increased their pain. Almost four years after the death of the Rio Olympian, a frustratingly staggered coronial inquest that has played out on opposite ends of the country came to a close today with Podmore’s mother speaking of “shocking” insights into her daughter’s treatment and a “shameful” lack of accountability. Both parents, Phil Podmore and Nienke Middleton, were reduced to tears while reading their final statements in Christchurch District Court and Coroner Louella Dunn was visibly emotional in offering her final address. “I remember at the very outset, Philip, you said to me to look into this carefully because family didn’t understand what had happened. And I hope at least at this point in time you have a better understanding of what has happened,” Dunn said. “You’ve provided to me significant insight into the person Olivia was. She’s been described as a talented athlete, bubbly, courageous. She was all of those things. “I didn’t know Olivia, but I feel like I know her now.” Podmore died in a suspected suicide the day after the Tokyo Olympics ended, August 9, 2021, after the track cyclist failed to qualify for that event following a Covid-19-interrupted selection process complicated by several controversies. Olivia Podmore's mum Nienke Middleton speaks during the inquest. Photo / George Heard Nienke Middleton did not shy away from the brutal reality of her life today in which there was no emotional relief, nor redemption through the inquest process. “It’s now been three years and eight months since the worst day of my life. That day I had no idea why Livi took her own life, the first I heard that Livi had been having health struggles was from Raelene Castle [Sport New Zealand chief executive] and Jacques Landry [then Cycling New Zealand chief executive] on a television interview the next day,” Nienke Middleton said. “We had no idea what had been going on, nobody from Cycling NZ [CNZ] or High Performance Sport NZ [HPSNZ] thought it might be worth contacting me over the five years Livi was in Cambridge. “People ask us what it’s like, does the pain fade and have we managed to move on? The answer is always no to these questions, we just live with it. I miss Livi just as much as the day I lost her.” She and her husband Chris Middleton represented themselves in the inquest, which inflicted a “massive” financial burden. They were surrounded by King’s Counsel representing Cycling NZ and HPSNZ. “If we had other lawyers representing, they didn’t know Livi ... a big part of the motivation of this was for Nienke,” Chris Middleton said. “It’s her daughter. Nienke’s the one who missed out the most out of anybody. That was a big driving thing as well. Like I won’t say [it’s] ruined Nienke’s life, but blimey,” Chris Middleton said. Olivia Podmore (left) and Natasha Hansen while representing New Zealand. Photo / Alex Whitehead Olivia Podmore's mother Nienke Middleton breaks down during the inquest. Photo / George Heard The inquest began in Hamilton District Court on November 18 last year, and ran for almost three weeks before being adjourned to April 22 in Christchurch – where Podmore’s family lived. The reasons for this adjournment can not be reported by the Herald. During the course of the inquest, extensive accounts of alleged bullying and marginalisation against Podmore within the Cycling NZ system emerged. This abuse was alleged to have begun after Podmore became an “inadvertent whistleblower” in exposing an athlete/coach relationship during a training camp in Bordeaux in 2016. Evidence in the inquest alleged the now disgraced coach would subsequently “berate” Podmore on personal subjects including her sex life, and whisper in her ear before races “just don’t f***ing crash”. Other teammates also allegedly sent bullying texts ordering her to “keep your trap shut” and calling her a “mental case”. Phil Podmore also spoke for the first time publicly today about the loss of his daughter. “We hope Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport can learn from this tragic event. From what we have heard during the inquest this could have been avoided,” he said, struggling through tears. “We will always be proud of Liv and amazed at the courage she showed, lasting as long as she did throughout all of this. We love her dearly and know she will live on through all the people she positively influenced in her short but wonderful life.” Olivia Podmore's father Philip Podmore speaks during the inquest. Photo / George Heard Throughout the inquest, lawyers for Cycling NZ and HPSNZ sought to place emphasis on personal factors outside cycling, such as Podmore’s teen abortion and her parents’ separation, as significant contributors to the athlete’s mental deterioration. Yesterday, forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio was questioned for the second time in this inquest about his placing “causality” and “weighting” the distressing incidents Podmore experienced within Cycling NZ over the challenges she faced in her personal life. “The impression I get is of a young woman who had given so much of her energy and time to succeed at sport. And felt that to some extent she’d been treated unfairly. So she put all her eggs in one basket. And that basket didn’t get her to the Olympics. It didn’t get her to where she wanted to go. And it seems that that led to despair,” Monasterio said. In HPSNZ’s closing submission today, the organisation said it was “deeply sorry for the distressing experiences Olivia endured during her time in the New Zealand high performance sport system. HPSNZ has always acknowledged that the conduct and behaviour she was subjected to was unacceptable and that it had a significant impact on her mental health”. Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle also thanked Podmore’s family and friends for their “integrity and grace” throughout the inquest. Castle said athlete wellbeing has been a key focus of HPSNZ strategy and significant work has been done over the past five years to provide dedicated health providers and invest in greater personal support for athletes and offer them a voice in the organisation. A statement by Cycling NZ was also read by its lawyer Paul David, KC, in which its current chief executive Simon Peterson offered his apology for what Podmore experienced during the 2016-18 period surrounding the Bordeaux controversy. The incident led to an independent review by Mike Heron, KC, which referenced an athlete being pressured to lie by Cycling NZ amid the controversy. In 2021, the Herald revealed that athlete was Podmore. “The expert evidence before this inquest shows that elite sport is likely to face increasing challenges and difficult decisions in maintaining the wellbeing of athletes and others in high performance,” David said. “Cycling’s made significant changes and established a very positive environment in the pursuit of excellence in sport. It will continue its work. “This process has weighed heavily on everyone ... Olivia will not be forgotten. Her memory will ensure that Cycling NZ does all it can to make the pursuit excellent in sporting performance as enjoyable as possible.” Coroner Louella Dunn has been hearing extensive submissions during the inquest. Photo / George Heard Nienke Middleton ended the inquest by emphasising just how revelatory the court process had been in exposing alleged abuse and mismanagement of her daughter’s sporting career and life. “It’s taken nearly four years to piece together the full story of what happened to my daughter. And now that we have, we are shocked,” she said. “Shocked because Livi had asked so many people, particularly those in senior management, for help over the years. People who knew what was happening tried to help, they were not listened to and they, in turn, didn’t last long at CNZ and HPSNZ. Codes of conduct breached, laws broken, the ends always justified the means.” Nienke Middleton also referenced her daughter’s final message on social media, in which the champion cyclist spoke of a “cover-up” at Cycling NZ relating to the Bordeaux incident, and also the sacrifice of a teen abortion “so that I could follow my Olympic dream”. “Have Livi’s last words been acknowledged and addressed? By some, yes, and we are hopeful that their sincerity leads to a healthier environment,” Nienke Middleton said. “Others have kept denying or not recalling in order to protect themselves and their organisations. Shame on them. We remember the words of Dr Monasterio in December: culture eats policy. “Well, culture starts from the top, not the PR company. We believe there is plenty still left to do in order to achieve the real changes needed.” Tom Dillane is an Auckland-based journalist covering local government and crime as well as sports investigations. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is deputy head of news. SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION Where to get help:• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)• Youth services: (06) 3555 906• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234• What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:07:20 Z /news/crime/beckenridge-mystery-man-retracts-allegation-cousin-helped-missing-pair-in-complete-turnaround-in-court/ /news/crime/beckenridge-mystery-man-retracts-allegation-cousin-helped-missing-pair-in-complete-turnaround-in-court/ Oliver Watson claimed his cousin Paul said he “helped” John Beckenridge and Mike Zhao-Beckenridge. But today he retracted that allegation in “a complete turnaround”. Police and others have described a “huge bust-up” between the pair over family land. Paul Watson denies ever meeting Beckenridge and forgives his cousin. Coroner Marcus Elliot is assessing new evidence. A man who claimed his cousin told him he “helped” John Beckenridge — who has been missing since 2015 with his stepson Mike — has now retracted his allegation. In “a complete turnaround,” Oliver Watson has told a court he never told police that and his statement was a “complete anomaly”. In June last year, Oliver Watson alleged his cousin Paul Watson said during a phone call soon after the pair vanished: “We helped him out and they are alive”. Paul Watson denies the claim. Today, both men gave evidence in the Christchurch District Court before Coroner Marcus Elliot. In March 2015, Beckenridge, a Swedish-born helicopter pilot, broke a court order by collecting his 11-year-old stepson, Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, from his Invercargill school. A week later, Beckenridge’s 4WD Volkswagen Touareg went off a cliff near Curio Bay, in Southland. When police recovered the vehicle there were no bodies, Beckenridge and Mike have been missing since. An inquest is probing the disappearance of Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, who vanished with his stepfather in 2015. Mike’s mother, Fiona Lu, is convinced her son is alive and Beckenridge, her former partner, staged the pair’s deaths. She claims he did this after she moved Mike from Beckenridge’s Queenstown home to Invercargill with her new partner, Peter Russell. In 2023, Coroner Marcus Elliot held an inquest into the pair’s disappearance. After new evidence came to light in June 2024, Coroner Elliot called for a new hearing to assess the information. What Oliver Watson told police That new information came from Oliver Watson. He contacted police, alleging that after media reported the car had gone off the cliff, he spoke to his cousin Paul on the phone. He claimed Paul told him he “sheltered” the pair and said: “We helped them out and they are alive”. The court heard why Oliver did not come forward earlier. “Oliver Watson held on to this information for over eight years before reporting to police,” Senior Constable Kenneth Patterson said. “The explanation given for the delay being that he thought the Beckenridges would be found prior to the hearing, and he reported the information, fearing an incorrect finding was going to be reached.” John and Mike Beckenridge disappeared on March 13, 2015 and have not been seen since. Oliver told police he thought it “odd” that Paul disclosed the information because they “were not close”. “After that, after he got off the phone, he told his wife what Paul has said,” Patterson said. “Paul Watson cannot recall speaking to Oliver on the phone, but accepts he may have. “Stephanie Watson recalls (her husband) Oliver speaking on the phone with Paul around this time and after the call ended, telling her the Beckenridges were alive.” Paul’s brother John told police that Oliver Watson was “addicted to drugs”. He said Oliver had “a fixation with Paul’s farm, believing he had some entitlement to it”. Paul told police he had never met or spoken to Beckenridge. He said Oliver’s allegation was “untrue.” Oliver Watson retracts allegations In court this morning, Oliver retracted his allegations in what Crown prosecutor Deidre Elsmore described as “a complete turnaround”. “At no time did he mention that the Beckenridges were alive,” he said of the phone call with his cousin in 2015. “No... he never mentioned that... he did not say they were alive.” Oliver Watson via AVL in the inquiry to the disappearance of Mike Beckenridge and his stepfather John Beckenridge. 23 April 2025 New Zealand Herald photography by by George Heard He said Paul stated “don’t worry, they’re alright” but “at no time did he say he helped them”. He agreed with Elsmore that the statement from Paul — a man of deep faith — might have been “comforting” rather than an admission. “I did think of that later... it could be interpreted that way... that could mean they are now with the Lord.” He said police took his statement at his home, and “the whole thing turned into a social event”. He signed the statement after looking over it, but “didn’t notice” he had been recorded alleging Paul had “helped”. He said that was “an anomaly” and also blamed it on the police officer’s handwriting. He went on to also sign a typed version of the statement. “Very poor on my part,” he said. “Paul never said that... simple as that.” “It sounds bad, it looks bad. I don’t believe I even said that, but there it is.” Coroner Marcus Elliot in the inquiry to the disappearance of Mike Beckenridge and his stepfather John Beckenridge. 23 April 2025 New Zealand Herald photography by by George Heard He also retracted a claim Paul’s wife and others in the Curio Bay community had been involved in “helping” the Beckenridge’s. Oliver also admitted he did not know his cousin well, that there had been some animosity between them over ownership of the family farm and that he had been on the methadone programme for 25 years after battling addictions to “heroin and morphine”. He also retracted a claim that Paul’s wife had been involved in “helping” the Beckenridges. Paul Watson ‘forgives’ cousin Paul Watson did not want to question his cousin. He did want to address him in person, which Coroner Elliot allowed. “As a Christian, I totally forgive you for all this... and wish you a very, very good, happy life. That’s all I’ve got to say,” he said. A teary Oliver responded: “If I put you through stress, I’m so sorry... thank you, Paul.” Paul — a retired farmer and pastor — was still called to give evidence. He said Oliver’s claims were “completely untrue”. “Helping John Beckenridge would make me complicit with this crime, and I would not do that. “I have never met or seen John Beckenridge in person. I believe this allegation is motivated by Oliver’s belief that he had some form of entitlement to my farm property.” Paul Watson in the inquiry to the disappearance of Mike Beckenridge and his stepfather John Beckenridge. 23 April 2025 New Zealand Herald photography by by George Heard Paul told the court Oliver had come up with a “scheme” to move onto the farm. “The message became quite threatening and nasty along the lines of ‘if you don’t do what I’m saying, it won’t end well for you’,” Paul said. He said the allegation came soon after his last contact with Oliver. “I do not wish to have any further contact with him,” he said. It took police six weeks before they could recover the battered vehicle belonging to John Beckenridge. Photo / supplied Rebekah Jordan, counsel assisting the Coroner, yesterday reminded the court why the hearing was being held. It was not an inquest, she said. Rather, it was to “assist the coroner in determining whether there is jurisdiction to open an inquiry”. “The main issue is whether it is likely that Mike and John Beckenridge are dead,” she said. Yesterday, an independent engineering expert spoke to the court about whether it would have been possible for Beckenridge’s vehicle to have been sent off the cliff with no driver. The hearing is now complete. The Coroner has given parties two weeks to make further submissions before any further decisions are made. To date, police have had 60 suspected sightings of the Beckenridges or their vehicle, some of which have been eliminated or deemed. Information about possible sightings continues to be reported nationally and from Kiwis overseas. Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz Wed, 23 Apr 2025 01:32:32 Z /news/crime/zacharius-rakena-avoids-prison-after-wild-south-auckland-car-theft-attack-on-police/ /news/crime/zacharius-rakena-avoids-prison-after-wild-south-auckland-car-theft-attack-on-police/ Zacharius Rakena faced up to seven years’ imprisonment after dangerous confrontations with a theft victim and police. Having served lengthy prison terms previously without much effect, his lawyer suggested a new approach. Judge Yelena Yelavich commended Rakena’s rehabilitation efforts through the Grace Foundation. February 19 last year was not Zacharius Rakena’s best day as a criminal. The Māngere resident, who has seen the inside of a jail on multiple occasions, was caught in the act early that morning as he slid into the driver’s seat of a car that wasn’t his own. What followed was a wild, sloppy game of cat-and-mouse during which he risked the life of the car owner, who jumped on the bonnet. Rakena got away but left his own van – along with his fingerprints – at the scene. He still had the stolen car hours later when police pulled up to the parked vehicle and tried to box it in. But Rakena wasn’t yet ready to give in. He repeatedly rammed the police car until the stolen vehicle was inoperable, then tried to run – tussling with police and injuring one with an officer’s own stun gun in the process. He pulled off a narrow escape but it ended the next morning when police arrived at his partner’s house, sending in a police dog to take him by force when Rakena hid in a neighbour’s laundry room and refused to come out. Zacharius Manuera Totorewa Rakena appears in the Manukau District Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to attacking police and driving dangerously as a car theft victim clung to the vehicle's bonnet. Photo / Craig Kapitan “The consequences could have been much more serious,” Manukau District Court Judge Yelena Yelavich said last week as she considered the defendant’s request for a non-custodial sentence after pleading guilty to nine charges. “Thankfully, they were not, but they were serious enough.” The judge approved the request. Break the cycle Rakena was joined in court last week by supporters from the Grace Foundation, a live-in rehabilitation programme known for taking in some of Auckland’s most hardened criminals. Reports of his rehabilitation at the bail house have been positive, defence lawyer Vernon Tava pointed out, noting also that his client “served a reasonably lengthy period of imprisonment” starting in 2021. “It would be certainly in the interest of justice ... to have the defendant continue on that rehabilitative pathway to break the cycle of offending,” he argued. “Another term of imprisonment may well just set him back to the old ways.” He suggested the punitive element of the sentence could already be considered by the judge to have been served by the 287 days his client spent in jail awaiting trial, followed by months on restrictive, electronically monitored bail. With that out of the way, he suggested, a sentence of intensive supervision would be best for his client and for the long-term safety of the community. Crown prosecutor Nina Wilgur, meanwhile, emphasised that the case involved “serious offending against the backdrop of a very poor criminal history”. Dangerous cat-and-mouse The most recent trouble for the defendant, whose full name is Zacharius Manuera Totorewa Rakena, started around 6.30am on February 19 last year. That morning the victim was commuting to work near Auckland Airport in his blue Subaru Impreza when he overtook Rakena’s van on Landing Drive. The defendant followed the commuter into the carpark of a lunch bar on Montgomerie Rd. They both parked, but Rakena hung back as the other man went inside. He then tried to get in the other man’s car. However, he was caught in the act. The victim ran outside and stood in front of the vehicle, blocking the exit. “The defendant accelerated and veered right, trying to move around [the owner] but [he] moved with the vehicle, trying to prevent the defendant from leaving,” court documents state. “The defendant accelerated forward. As he did so, [the victim] threw himself on to the bonnet of the car. He held on to the top of the bonnet with his left hand and the passenger wheel with his right hand.” With the victim still clinging to the bonnet, Rakena continued driving to the exit of the carpark. “There, he braked hard in an attempt to throw [him] from the bonnet,” documents state. “This caused the lower part of [the victim’s] body to fall from the bonnet, but he was still holding on with his arms.” Rakena then reversed the car “at speed”, dragging the victim alongside the car. The victim let go after scraping his knees along the ground for about 2m. He was unable to work for about a month afterwards. Cul-de-sac standoff The agreed summaries of facts for Rakena’s case list three other victims – all police officers whose names have been redacted. The officers caught up to the defendant at 2.30pm that same day, finding him standing next to the open driver’s door of the stolen vehicle in a Māngere cul-de-sac. A sergeant, with two constables as his passengers, parked the patrol vehicle nose-to-nose with the stolen car to prevent him from leaving. Zacharius Rakena attacked three police officers when they confronted him over a stolen vehicle at the Ruaiti Rd cul-de-sac in Māngere in February 2024. Photo / Google Rakena got back inside the stolen vehicle and tried to force his way out of the police block, ramming the police car with enough force that one of the officers recalled smoke coming from the stolen vehicle’s tyres. One officer got out of the vehicle, getting ready to use his Taser, when Rakena rammed the patrol car again, pushing it about 5m. “The defendant reversed again and accelerated forward, colliding with the police car a third time,” documents state. “This time, the defendant’s vehicle collided with a bollard, causing it to become stuck.” He ran. Rakena fell to the ground after one of the constables shot him with his Taser, but the defendant was able to break the wires. The constable threw the Taser to the side because it no longer had any active prongs, while the sergeant moved in and attempted to restrain Rakena on the ground, according to the agreed facts. During this time, the other constable deployed his Taser, but it hit both the defendant and the sergeant, causing the sergeant to lose his grip. Rakena then scrambled for the discarded Taser. “F*** off!” he said as he pointed it at the officers, who withdrew from the situation to await back-up. He ran away through Ruaiti Reserve, taking the Taser with him. One of the constables later reported he was “contact stunned” to one of his fingers during the melee but did not require treatment. Police took no chances the next day when they arrived at an Ōtara home belonging to Rakena’s girlfriend. Upon seeing police, Rakena had hopped a fence and tried to hide in a neighbour’s laundry. When the ruse didn’t work, he barricaded the laundry door with his body and claimed to have weapons, stating he would self-harm. “Eventually, they were able to distract him and open the door,” court documents state. As he was pulled away, with the help of a police dog, he was writhing and thrashing – resulting in an additional charge of resisting arrest. In a recorded interview with police later that day, Rakena claimed it was police who had rammed him the day earlier, not the other way around. He said he blacked out when an officer tasered him and he did not recall tasering the constable. With his guilty pleas late last year, Rakena acknowledged having committed the crimes. At sentencing, his lawyer downplayed the significance of the resisting arrest charge. “The thrashing ... was quite a natural response to having a dog set on him in a confined space,” Tova suggested. ‘Significant history’ In assessing what the sentence should be, Judge Yelavich pointed to Rakena’s “significant history” of crime, which included 12 offences involving assault or violence, eight offences involving resisting or assaulting police and other instances involving stolen vehicles. There was also an armed robbery from over a decade ago, not elaborated on at the sentencing hearing, that Rakena’s previous lawyers tried unsuccessfully to get overturned in the Supreme Court. He had been found guilty by a District Court jury in June 2015 of targeting an Onehunga auto parts business a year earlier and was subsequently sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. The case against him had been circumstantial, with the Crown noting that a pair of striped track pants matching those of the masked, pistol-wielding robber were found in a recycling bin outside Rakena’s home. The clothing contained his DNA. His lawyers argued that a miscarriage of justice had occurred due to an unreasonable verdict. The Court of Appeal disagreed in a July 2016 judgment. “Nothing raised shows any risk of a miscarriage of justice,” the Supreme Court added three months later. Capacity to change Of all the charges Rakena faced last week, it was the car thefts that carried the largest possible penalty – a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment. In addition to the Subaru Impreza, he admitted to having stolen two other cars: a Ford Ranger taken from a Māngere Bridge residential construction site in December 2023 and a Mitsubishi Lancer taken from another victim’s Māngere workplace in early January 2024. He later claimed he had gone to the construction site for a job interview and wasn’t the thief and on the second occasion was only a passenger, not knowing the car was stolen. However, Judge Yelavich decided to treat Rakena’s reckless driving causing injury – in which he bucked the victim from the bonnet – as the lead offence for sentencing purposes. It carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. Zacharius Manuera Totorewa Rakena appears in the Manukau District Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to attacking police and driving dangerously as a car theft victim clung to the vehicle's bonnet. Photo / Craig Kapitan She settled on a 32-month starting point after factoring in uplifts for the various other charges. An additional six months were added for his prior criminal history and having offended while on bail and subject to prison release conditions. She then allowed 45% in discounts for his guilty pleas, remorse, his troubled background and his efforts at rehabilitation. She noted that Rakena grew up surrounded by drugs, alcohol, gangs and physical abuse. A pre-sentence report noted his continued reluctance to distance himself from his own gang connections. But the past four months on electronically monitored bail have been spent at Grace Foundation, where he received glowing reports for what appeared to be earnest efforts to change the course of his life. The judge noted that Rakena told a pre-sentence report writer he wanted to continue his work with the Grace Foundation regardless of whether he had to serve a prison sentence first. “You have demonstrated over the past four months you have the capacity to turn your life around,” Judge Yelavich said. Given the circumstances of the case, she said the community detention sought by the defence was too lenient. But she allowed six months’ home detention – in which he will continue to reside at the Grace Foundation – followed by 12 months of post-detention conditions. She also ordered $2000 in reparations to two victims, noting the defendant didn’t have the ability to pay the full $5000 sought by the Crown. Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand. Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:21:09 Z /news/crime/new-evidence-in-john-beckenridge-disappearance-case-after-10-years/ /news/crime/new-evidence-in-john-beckenridge-disappearance-case-after-10-years/ New evidence has emerged in the disappearance of John Beckenridge and his stepson, Mike Zhao-Beckenridge.  Coroner Marcus Elliot will hear from new witnesses this week.  Man reportedly said he “helped” the missing pair and they are alive.  Engineering expert says no evidence vehicle crash was staged - but steering wheel and brake pedal never recovered.  New evidence has emerged about the mysterious disappearance of Southland man John Beckenridge and his young stepson Mike more than 10 years ago.  A friend of John Beckenridge allegedly told people after the pair vanished: “we helped him out and they are alive”.  Swedish-born helicopter pilot Beckenridge broke a court order by collecting his 11-year-old stepson, Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, from his Invercargill school on March 13, 2015.  A week later, Beckenridge’s 4WD Volkswagen Touareg went off the cliff near Curio Bay, in Southland. But when police recovered the vehicle, there were no signs of any bodies and the two have been missing since.  Mike’s mother Fiona Lu is convinced her son is alive and that her former partner, Beckenridge, staged the pair’s death after she moved Mike from Beckenridge’s Queenstown home to Invercargill with her new partner, Peter Russell.  An inquest is probing the disappearance of Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, who vanished with his stepfather in 2015.  As a result, Coroner Elliot was tasked with probing the disappearance and making a ruling on what likely happened to the pair.  The inquest was held in 2023.  But after new evidence came to light, a three-day hearing was scheduled to assess the information.  Coroner Elliot will hear from the man who allegedly reported helping Beckenridge.  He will also hear from others about that claim.  An engineering expert has also spoken about whether it would have been possible for Beckenridge’s vehicle to have been sent off the cliff with no driver.  “Dr John Raine, the independent expert who was asked to address whether the Volkswagen could have been rigged to drive off the cliff top without a driver at the controls, will give evidence today,” she said.  “The second part of the reconvened hearing relates to some new information police received on the 26th of June 2023, after the last submissions were made.  “Police investigated this new information. They provided a report to the coroner in November 2024.”  A missing persons poster was distributed around hotels and resorts in Gili Island after a woman who was holidaying there claims to have spotted the pair three months after their mysterious disappearance. Photo / Supplied  Jordan said shortly after the media reported that a car had gone off a cliff at Curio Bay, the landowner Paul Watson, spoke to his cousin Oliver Watson on the phone.  “Oliver Watson’s evidence will be that during the phone call, Paul Watson said: ‘we helped them out and they are alive’,” she explained.  “Paul Watson will give evidence about his recollection of the search for Mike and John in the Curio Bay area and how he learned about the cliff-top scene on the farmland he leased to his neighbour.  “Paul Watson will also respond to his cousin’s evidence that he helped Mike and John to escape. He says this is untrue.”  The coroner will also hear from other members of the Watson family about “dynamics” and the relationship between Oliver and Paul Watson.  Jordan reminded the court that this week’s proceedings were “not an inquest”.  Rather, it was to “assist the coroner in determining whether there is jurisdiction to open an inquiry”.  “The main issue is whether it is likely that Mike and John Beckenridge are dead,” she said.  A photograph submitted during the coroner's hearing in the Christchurch District Court on May 23, 2023 into the disappearance of John Beckenridge and his son Mike Zhao-Beckenridge (inset left) on March 13, 2015; John Beckenridge's car is hoisted from the water at Curio Bay (inset right). Photos / Supplied  Raine gave evidence this morning about whether Beckenridge’s vehicle could have been “rigged”.  He said the overall probability of the vehicle launching off the clifftop without a driver behind the wheel was “very low”.  The probability it was driven off the clifftop was “high”.  Raine gave extensive evidence about the staged crash scenario, including Beckenrdige jumping out at the last minute.  He said it would be “a very precarious kind of manoeuvre to try and carry out”.  He said there was no evidence at the scene that anyone had exited the vehicle before it “launched” off the edge and plunged 71m into the water below.  There were no brake marks. The vehicle would have had to have been travelling at 76km an hour at least for it to land where it did.  “It is highly unlikely the driver left the vehicle before it left the clifftop,” he told Coroner Elliot.  “It is highly unlikely the driver could have safely exited at the launch speed without being seriously injured or going over the cliff edge.”  Raine said the vehicle went off the cliff in a straight line.  For that to happen without a driver a “remote-controlled electro-mechanical actuator system” would have been required.  He said there was no evidence such a system had been used.  A simpler “tethering system” for the steering wheel with a “crude” spring-loaded prop or weight on the accelerator would have been unreliable and made driving in a straight line “difficult”.  He confirmed that the steering wheel and brake pedal were never recovered when the crash wreckage was found.  Even in the absence of the mechanisms, he said he would have expected other evidence to be found in the vehicle, for example, holes drilled in the floor or bracket mountings.  The hearing continues.  To date, police have had 60 suspected sightings of the Beckenridges or their vehicle, some of which have been deemed unlikely or eliminated.  Information about possible sightings continues to be reported from within New Zealand and from Kiwis overseas.  Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz  Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:49:45 Z /news/crime/canterbury-cocaine-ring-felipe-montoya-ospina-loses-bid-to-have-jail-term-reduced-on-appeal/ /news/crime/canterbury-cocaine-ring-felipe-montoya-ospina-loses-bid-to-have-jail-term-reduced-on-appeal/ Felipe Montoya-Ospina worked on a dairy farm in Canterbury. His day job was a ‘cover’ for his role in a South American criminal group smuggling in large amounts of cocaine. He and his co-offenders are now serving stiff jail sentences, but he thinks his is ‘manifestly excessive’. A member of a South American drug-smuggling ring thinks his jail sentence is too long, arguing that bringing cocaine into New Zealand is less serious than importing methamphetamine. Felipe Montoya-Ospina was one of a number of South Americans who were involved in organised crime while outwardly living as dairy farm workers in rural Canterbury. For nearly four years, they were smuggling in “wholesale” quantities of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars. Police believe the group was the biggest supplier of cocaine in New Zealand between January 2018 and December 2021. Montoya-Ospina, 37, was jailed last year after pleading guilty to participating in an organised criminal group, personally importing 11.4kg of cocaine, attempting to import another 28.87kg of the drug and supplying cocaine. He was sentenced in the High Court last July to 14 years and seven months in prison. He and other members of the syndicate - Colombian and Argentinian nationals - were working on farms in the Darfield, Dunsandel and Hororata areas as “cover” for their illegal activities. There was no evidence before the courts that farm owners or managers knew about their criminal dealings. Smuggled cocaine worth millions It was estimated the ring imported 42kg of cocaine with a street value of more than $19 million into New Zealand. Another 59.1kg of cocaine with a street value of more than $26m was intercepted in an international operation which linked New Zealand police up with their Colombian and Spanish counterparts. Montoya-Ospina was a senior member of the group and personally delivered cocaine to associates in Auckland, travelling from Christchurch by bus and ferry to avoid airport security. He also took apart equipment brought in from overseas, with the drugs hidden inside. When police searched Montoya-Ospina’s house near Hororata in November 2021, they found 10 cell phones, $30,000 in cash, tools to extract cocaine from the imported receptacles, snap lock bags, scales and a bottle of acetone that was used to wash the drugs. They also found evidence linking him to seven successful imports. When Montoya-Ospina was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch last year, Justice Cameron Mander adopted a starting point of 18 years in prison for the successful importation of cocaine. He then uplifted this by 18 months for the attempted imports, but made discounts for his guilty plea, his isolation and denial of family support in a New Zealand prison, and his potential for rehabilitation. These discounts totalled 25%, bringing his end sentence to 14 years and seven months. Jail sentence length challenged His lawyers, Ethan Huda and Rachel Kim, took an appeal against that sentence to the Court of Appeal, arguing the 18-year starting point was too high and resulted in a “manifestly excessive” jail term. “Counsel says that cocaine offending should be sentenced more leniently than methamphetamine offending, and that the 18-year starting point was too high even for methamphetamine importation,” a Court of Appeal judgment said. The Appeal Court justices said that, in a previous case, the court had concluded that sentencing for cocaine should be roughly 5% below comparable methamphetamine offending. Counsel for Montoya-Ospina said it should be more - a 10% adjustment. They relied on two reports, a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology and the New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2023, which suggested that cocaine is “substantially less” harmful than meth and other illicit drugs in New Zealand. The Appeal Court justices, however, said they had not been provided with any expert evidence to contextualise and explain the conclusions reached in the reports. “Contrary to appellant counsel’s submissions, we cannot say that the new reports would have resulted in the court concluding that an adjustment greater than 10% should have applied,” the Court of Appeal decision said. Court dismisses appeal The Court of Appeal concluded the starting point of 18 years was not out of range, and did not result in a manifestly excessive sentence. It dismissed Montoya-Ospina’s appeal. The drug ring’s consignments didn’t come directly from South America. They were sent from the United States or England. One consignment was intercepted in Spain. Another shipment came via Hong Kong. Other members of the group also received stiff jail terms. Estaban Blanco Gaviria, who uses Blanco as a surname, got 10 years and one month in jail. David Alfredo Bonilla Casanas, 32, received a sentence of eight years and two months. Ruth Ramirez-Alfonzo pleaded guilty to a single representative charge of importing cocaine. She was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. She has since been issued with a deportation liability notice. Zane Robert Jordan, 33, a Kiwi customer who was not a core member of the syndicate supplying him, got five years and three months’ imprisonment for possession of cocaine for supply. Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined ob体育接口’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of frontline experience as a probation officer. Sun, 20 Apr 2025 03:57:09 Z /news/crime/man-tasered-then-jailed-after-threatening-police-with-spear-during-spca-dog-seizure/ /news/crime/man-tasered-then-jailed-after-threatening-police-with-spear-during-spca-dog-seizure/ Daniel Takimoana was sentenced to prison after threatening police with a flounder spear during a dog seizure. A jury found him guilty of multiple charges, including obstructing police and possession of an offensive weapon. He was found not guilty of breaking an officer’s leg. Judge Tony Snell highlighted Takimoana’s lack of co-operation and the escalation of events leading to his sentencing. A man who threatened the police with a flounder spear when they arrived at his house with the SPCA to uplift his dog was tasered and pepper-sprayed, and now he is in prison. This week, Daniel Takimoana shouted over the judge during sentencing via video link from the Nelson District Court, seemingly still in denial of a jury’s verdict over events on two separate occasions, in 2022 and 2023. Central to what occurred was a dog named Porotu, which the SPCA sought to seize to allow it to be examined by a vet. It was said to be suffering from a “significant skin condition” and other medical issues that required examination. Violence erupted when the SPCA and police arrived at Daniel Takimoana's house to seize his dog after a complaint about its state. Photo / 123RF The arrival of the police with the SPCA at his house in March 2022 led to an initial set of charges that arose from Takimoana’s “angry” and “elevated” response. He was pepper-sprayed when he wielded a flounder spear at the police and then managed to pull out the wires after he was tasered. A jury later found him guilty of obstructing police, threatening behaviour towards a police officer, possession of an offensive weapon (a flounder spear), threatening a police officer with grievous bodily harm, and aggravated assault on a police officer. He was acquitted on two other charges. A year later, in March 2023, when a large contingent of police arrived at his house on an alleged bail breach, Takimoana was further charged and later found guilty of resisting police. His lawyer, Stephen Zindel, said police arrived in large numbers, having formed the view that a major police presence was needed, and “yanked him from his home”. Takimoana was found not guilty of injuring with reckless disregard, and what Zindel described as “the most serious matter” of allegedly breaking a police officer’s leg. He was also found not guilty of aggravated assault when he was alleged to have put a police officer in a headlock. Judge Tony Snell said Takimoana’s lack of co-operation since, including in the pre-sentence process that might have been to his advantage, had left him “the author of his own misfortune”. Takimoana was led away from the dock in the Manukau District Court, from where he appeared via video link, still shouting. Judge Snell said, in summarising what had occurred, that in March 2022, two SPCA inspectors went to Takimoana’s address, accompanied by police officers. Takimoana immediately became agitated at the dog being taken, and became highly abusive to the SPCA staff and the police. Judge Snell described him as “intimidating and highly aggressive”, refused to allow the dog to be uplifted and accused the SPCA and police of “stealing” the animal. Takimoana was warned multiple times that he would be arrested, and then repeatedly threatened to “waste” one of the constables. When he still refused to comply, the police pepper-sprayed him and pointed a taser at him. Takimoana then picked up the flounder spear and thrust it at the police, who then tasered him. He was to have been sentenced last December, but Judge Snell adjourned the case to allow Takimoana to take part in the pre-sentence process. However, a memo from probation services to the court indicated he felt he was being “coerced” by the court to take part. He declined to take part in any interviews, so no report was available, Judge Snell said. The judge said aggravating features related to the threats to police officers who were doing their job in trying to ensure the peaceful uplift of a dog, under a warrant. “This was escalated by you much more than it needed to be.” The use of a weapon was another aggravating feature, which could have led to serious injury, he said. From a starting point of 20 months in prison, he arrived at 14-and-a-half months after credits were applied for the time Takimoana had already spent on electronic bail. Takimoana was granted leave to apply for home detention if a suitable address was found. In February 2024, the Nelson District Court ordered Takimoana and his partner to comply with a care plan for Porotu, or have the dog put down before that decision was taken out of their hands. Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Sat, 19 Apr 2025 21:29:54 Z /news/crime/wiremu-te-pou-jailed-after-knifepoint-aggravated-burglary-in-havelock-north/ /news/crime/wiremu-te-pou-jailed-after-knifepoint-aggravated-burglary-in-havelock-north/ Wiremu Te Pou, 28, wielded a knife and demanded money during a daylight aggravated burglary.  He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.  Extra time was added to his jail term after the judge wrote off more than $13,800 worth of fines.  A woman was cut on the face and thought she would die as she tried to force a knife-wielding burglar out of her home.  “Don’t stab me, or go down there. My son is down there,” the mother of a 9-year-old boy told Wiremu Katene Lou Te Pou as he advanced down her hallway, looking for money.  This week, at Te Pou’s sentencing in the Napier District Court, Crown Solicitor Steve Manning described the offending as a homeowner’s “worst nightmare”.  “This woman thought that she was going to be killed, and she had good reason for thinking that,” he said.  Te Pou, 28, lived near the woman in Havelock North and drove to her house during the day on June 12 last year, after hearing that she had recently sold a car for $1000.  He mistakenly believed this meant she would have cash in the house.  Te Pou was wearing gloves, dark glasses and a hat, and carrying a boning knife, when he appeared at the woman’s open door.  He demanded money from the woman who had left her lounge to confront him.  “I don’t have any money. I’m broke,” she said.  The woman’s son and her father were also in the house.  The father came out of another room and, with the woman, managed to force Te Pou out of the door, picking up a printer and throwing it at him.  As they struggled, Te Pou held the knife towards the woman’s throat and it cut her chin as she tried to deflect it.  They managed to shut Te Pou out, but he smashed the door around the lock.  The woman and her father struggled to hold it shut.  But the woman followed Te Pou outside as he went to leave the property, and took a photograph of his car and number plate.  “Give me the phone. Don’t take my f...... picture,” he told her.  The woman’s father picked up a pot plant and threw it at Te Pou, chasing him off.  He left the property empty-handed and later removed the number plates from the vehicle filmed by the victims.  Te Pou, who did not know the woman beforehand, was charged with aggravated burglary, which he admitted.  At sentencing, defence counsel Sheila Cameron said there were fewer than three minutes between Te Pou arriving and leaving.  She said her client had been combating mental illness for many years.  “On the day he was very unwell ... he wasn’t quite in his right mind.”  However, after being remanded in custody and receiving treatment, Te Pou has begun to get better, and his sense of responsibility for what he had done has grown.  “He is sorry. He is now taking responsibility,” Cameron said.  Te Pou had written a letter of remorse, the court heard.  Manning agreed that Te Pou had mental health issues, but said two psychologists’ reports said these had played no part in his offending.  Judge Richard Earwaker handed down a prison sentence of four years and two months.  He remitted Te Pou’s $13,821 in fines and added two months in prison, to be served cumulatively.  The fines were mainly for driving offences, with some dating back to 2013.  Te Pou was also ordered to pay $440 in reparation to his victims on his eventual release from prison.  Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined ob体育接口’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of frontline experience as a probation officer.  Sat, 19 Apr 2025 02:58:59 Z /news/crime/brian-tito-of-whang%C4%81rei-sentenced-to-home-detention-for-meth-supply-shows-rehabilitation/ /news/crime/brian-tito-of-whang%C4%81rei-sentenced-to-home-detention-for-meth-supply-shows-rehabilitation/ A methamphetamine dealer who has been battling addiction for 23 years has proven to the court that he has turned his life around. This week, Brian Tito, 38, appeared for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court before Judge Gene Tomlinson. The court heard how Tito had spent more than two decades locked into addiction but has more recently been working on his rehabilitation and was now leading a “meaningful life”. But he still had residual court matters that needed to be addressed. The sentencing sitting heard that in April 2022, Tito was charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply after police discovered his criminal activity through phone communications. He was remanded into custody and granted bail in October. But within a month, he was back before court on further charges of supplying, as well as resisting arrest, driving offences and possession of meth and three tabs of LSD. In total, Tito was found to have dealt 87g of methamphetamine and had “tick lists” of money owed totalling around $50,000. Crown lawyer Ben Bosomworth said Tito had told police much of the “tick” money was his own debt. But Bosomworth said it would be unusual if debt noted on such a list was money he owed himself. Bosomworth acknowledged Tito had done everything he could to rehabilitate, but said his role in the earlier meth supply was still significant. Tito had a large crowd of supporters in court, including Northland stalwarts in addiction rehabilitation Phil Paikea, Ngahau Davis and Chris Nahi. Brian Tito was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court. Nahi addressed the court and said that of all his clients at the Victory House rehabilitation centre, Tito was on the higher level of those wanting to change and had trained himself in mental health and addictions services. “I believe wholeheartedly he is rehabilitated,” Nahi told the court. It was heard Tito had been battling addiction for 23 years after coming from a home he described to pre-sentence report writers as “10 times worse” than the movie Once Were Warriors. Defence lawyer Mathew Ridgley, the Crown and the judge agreed that although Tito’s offending was significant, his rehabilitation made for a difficult sentencing exercise. “The rehabilitation he has done for the two years he’s been on bail has been significant. It’s been around the clock,” Ridgley submitted. “At the point of exiting Victory House, it could have gone one of two ways and Mr Tito stayed the course because he has been self-driven.” Judge Tomlinson reminded the court of the impact Tito’s offending had on the community. “Northland is plagued with violent crimes, burgs, thefts, and receivings. All because of addiction to this vile drug. “You now being clean, and having been clean a long time, I hope you look back on your old self with shame. You look back on the harm you’ve put in the community, I hope with disgust.” The judge said he was pleased Tito had shifted his mindset to the future, providing value to others around Northland at rehabilitation centres and was satisfied he was no longer a risk to the community. “You have, with the assistance of all the people here today, grabbed the opportunity to change your life. “You’ve now got a meaningful life, you are now effecting change in others because you have lived the life. “Every day you have to answer the question, ‘No, I’m not going to use.” Tito was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention, 180 hours of community work and was disqualified from driving. Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined ob体育接口 in 2023. Fri, 18 Apr 2025 01:52:18 Z /news/crime/twice-convicted-double-murderer-mark-lundy-to-be-released-from-prison-on-parole/ /news/crime/twice-convicted-double-murderer-mark-lundy-to-be-released-from-prison-on-parole/ Double murderer Mark Lundy will be released from prison next month, despite holding firm to the position that he never killed his wife and daughter. Lundy has spent more than 23 years behind bars for the murder of his wife Christine and his 7-year-old daughter Amber, who were found hacked to death in their Palmerston North home 25 years ago with what is believed to have been an axe or tomahawk. The now 66-year-old has always maintained someone else killed his family. He took his fight against the conviction all the way to the Privy Council, which quashed the guilty verdict in 2013, only for him to be found guilty again in 2015 on retrial and sent back to prison. Now, following his third appearance before the New Zealand Parole Board, Lundy is due to be released from prison next month. This doesn’t mean that he’s free, rather he’s subject to an extensive list of release conditions and if he breaks them he can be hauled back behind the wire. Friend, supporter and brother-in-law Dave Jones told ob体育接口 Lundy was overwhelmed with the result. “I think he was hoping for the best and expecting the worst.” He said Lundy also plans to continue his fight to clear his name. “He’s got principles and he didn’t do this, so of course he’s going to stick to his guns.” Lundy has an application in with the Criminal Cases Review Commission and Jones said it would be much easier for him to meet with them and his lawyers now he is being released. The Lundy Family, R-L; Christine, Mark, Amber. Photo / Supplied. The CRCC has the power to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal. “The fight to prove his innocence will continue,” Jones said, but for now they were just focused on getting him settled outside the wire. Christine’s sister-in-law, Maria Norrelle, told ob体育接口 she felt “resigned” about the pending release. “It’s been a long time, he had to come out at some point,” she said. “He’s coming out into a world that has changed considerably … it’s not much of a future for him.” ‘Elephant in the room’ Lundy was first convicted in 2002, even though the murder weapon has never been found. At his first trial, the Crown argued that he travelled from Wellington, where he was on a business trip, back to Palmerston North to commit the murder and then travelled back to the capital, where his alibi maintained he was with a sex worker at the time. An appeal to the Privy Council in 2013 based on the time of the victims’ deaths, the presence of organic tissue on Lundy’s shirt and the time Christine’s computer was turned off resulted in his convictions being overturned. Mark Lundy supported after the funeral of his wife Christine and daughter Amber in 2000. Photo / Mark Mitchell In his 2015 retrial, the window of the time of death was expanded to 14 hours, with the Crown instead alleging Lundy had returned home in the early hours of the morning to kill his family. Lundy was found guilty a second time after this trial and has remained behind bars since, with bids in 2017 to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court failing. In 2022 his minimum period of non-parole expired, meaning Lundy became eligible for early release from prison. However, because he maintained his innocence, he butted heads with Parole Board members who questioned how they were meant to assess a safety plan for release from prison if his argument was that he wasn’t any risk in the first place, because he didn’t murder his wife and child. At his hearing, one of Lundy’s lawyers, Ella Burton, addressed the “elephant in the room”: his professed innocence. Burton said that while it might be “neater and more palatable” if Lundy had simply professed his guilt, it wasn’t a factor the board was required to consider. “He should not be detained because of a lack of admission,” she said. “Life does not mean life in New Zealand in terms of never being released.” The principle of the Parole Board is “undue risk” and its primary function is to determine if a prisoner is going to cause further harm to the community. Burton said Lundy had been assessed by a psychologist as at low risk of reoffending, and factors like denial of guilt were built into the way they came up with that finding. “His risk is already assessed as low. It doesn’t get lower than low,” she said. Mark Lundy in the dock on day three of his retrial in the High Court at Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell “He is very ready to go, and the evidence supports this … even in the circumstance of the denial.” ‘I’m not a violent or abusive person’ Some of what the board questioned Lundy on yesterday was suppressed, but he spoke frankly about his use of alcohol and its effect on his and Christine’s relationship. Lundy said that he drank to fit in with the various theatre groups and sporting clubs he was a part of, but didn’t drink every night. “I have never had that sort of relationship with alcohol, but when we did drink it did quite often get out of hand,” he said. “That was a long time ago, I’m 66 years old now. I’m just not interested in that anymore.” Amber Lundy was 7 when she was murdered. Photo / Supplied Other than alcohol, Lundy maintained the pair were in a “very good, loving relationship”. “There’s always little niggles in any relationship but there’s nothing major,” he told the board. “If I have too much alcohol I was … I could be embarrassing. Alcohol affected different people differently, if I drink too much I fall asleep. “I’m not a violent or abusive person.” The board also asked Lundy about financial pressure, which he was under at the time Christine and Amber died, having increased their life insurance policies in the weeks prior to their deaths. Lundy said Christine looked after their finances and kept him fully informed about what was going on. Mark Lundy. Photo / Mark Mitchell “Financial stress can always be a problem and that is something I will need to look at when I get out.” One of Lundy’s conditions upon release will be that he can’t initiate contact with the media, and he’s forbidden to use social media, including dating sites, as well as pornography. “I’ve never had any experience with social media, I do know that the internet is dangerous,” he said. “Anything that I post on there is there forever and can be used and abused to my detriment, and that scares the hell out of me.” Lundy was also asked how he would approach any future romantic relationships. “I cannot remember the last time I invited a woman out … it’s not something I know how to do. So, it’s not something I’ll be looking for.” However, he stressed that any woman who did enter into a relationship with him would likely already be well aware of who he was, and his convictions. He anticipated his biggest challenge upon release would be “just living and existing” in a world that had moved on so drastically in terms of technology. Among Lundy’s other release conditions are restrictions about where in the country he can go; specifically he’s not to enter Manawatū, which would prevent him from visiting his family’s grave. Lundy will also be subject to a curfew and is not to have any contact with any of the registered victims, who are mostly Christine’s surviving family members. Lundy is not allowed to give any media interviews. Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for ob体育接口 since 2022. Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:41:39 Z /news/crime/french-tourist-bites-officers-in-nz-traffic-stop-seeks-no-conviction/ /news/crime/french-tourist-bites-officers-in-nz-traffic-stop-seeks-no-conviction/ A Frenchman in New Zealand on a working holiday who violently fought three police officers is now trying to avoid a conviction. Things unravelled for Ulysse Felician after he was seen doing a U-turn in front of oncoming traffic on a busy state highway near Nelson. It ended with him being taken to the ground before he bit two police officers and then tried to remove the taser from the holster of one. Felician, who has just turned 30, was in the country on a tourist working visa, which his lawyer said had now expired. According to a police summary of facts, he didn’t hold a driver’s licence. He admitted to charges in the Nelson District Court on Monday of assaulting and resisting police, failing to remain stopped, and a drugs charge after a search of his vehicle found 25.5g of dried cannabis. On the morning of January 28 this year, Felician was driving a grey Mazda station wagon on State Highway 6 in Appleby when he was seen by police doing a U-turn in front of oncoming traffic. Police signalled to him to stop, but Felician did another U-turn near a busy intersection and headed off in a different direction. He stopped briefly just past the Appleby Primary School on the Moutere Highway but then drove off as the officer got out of his vehicle. He stopped further up the road but then drove off again before he stopped a third time on Waimea West Rd, when the police removed the keys from his vehicle. Felician became “very agitated” and lunged towards the police officer, whom he pushed and then took the keys out of the officer’s pocket. Felician was arrested but resisted and fought violently against three officers, the summary of facts said. During the struggle, he was taken to the ground, biting one officer on the leg in the process. Felician then bit another officer on the shoulder as he tried to get his taser from him. Both officers were left scratched and bruised. He was eventually handcuffed but continued to struggle and kick out at the police until he was placed in a patrol vehicle. After Felician’s vehicle was impounded, police found a quantity of cannabis. He later told the police he did not remember fighting the officers involved but wanted to apologise to those he hit. He said through an interpreter who assisted him in court that he was also able to offer a donation and asked that no conviction be entered. He was remanded on bail to June for a sentencing hearing to determine a discharge without conviction. Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at ob体育接口. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail. Wed, 16 Apr 2025 04:26:47 Z /news/crime/napier-s-alleged-perfume-thieves-apprehended/ /news/crime/napier-s-alleged-perfume-thieves-apprehended/ Two teenagers have been apprehended in relation to one of two early-morning front-entrance burglaries of shops in Napier’s Emerson St shopping centre. Both targeting perfumes and deodorant, the burglaries were at specialist store Elaines on Emerson about 1.20am, on Saturday, April 5 and at Life Pharmacy about 2.40am on April 7. Offenders using an allegedly stolen car in one of the raids smashed through glass at the front entrances and grabbed product from display shelves, including popular brands D’Or and Versace. Police said two youths were charged in relation to the second burglary. Police continue inquiries concerning the offences, in which there was damage costing thousands of dollars more than the value of the stolen stock. One of the sites is still awaiting replacement of a door expected to cost over $8000, while a sign at the part-boarded entrance assures customers they’re still open for business. Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities. Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:22:36 Z /news/crime/birthday-party-shooting-expletives-as-verdicts-handed-down/ /news/crime/birthday-party-shooting-expletives-as-verdicts-handed-down/ A man has been found guilty of manslaughter, but cleared of murder, following a fatal shooting at 50th birthday party in Stokes Valley. His partner was cleared by a jury in the High Court at Wellington of all but one of the charges she faced. The case centred around a surprise 50th birthday party at a Stokes Valley address in December 2023. Rawiri Zane Wharerau, a patched member of Mangu Kaha – a gang associated with Black Power – lived at the house with his younger brother, Hemi Wharerau. The party was for their cousin Robert Huaki Sr, a patched member of Black Power. During the evening, Rawiri was fatally shot and killed and Hemi was also shot and badly injured. A couple who attended the party, but have name suppression, denied charges of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The woman also denied a charge of assault with a weapon. After 16 hours of deliberations, a jury of 11 delivered their verdicts today, finding the man guilty of manslaughter and discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but not guilty of murder and attempted murder. The woman was found guilty of assault with a weapon. Today’s verdicts follow a lengthy trial which is now in its sixth week, with evidence from more than 60 Crown witnesses including partygoers, police, and ESR experts. Three witnesses gave evidence for the defence including the two defendants. The Crown case alleged the couple left the party after an argument between them and Huaki Sr. They returned with a gun and fought with partygoers on the street, before leaving and returning a final time - firing several shots that killed Rawiri and wounded Hemi. Defence lawyers claimed the injuries weren’t intentional. They said the couple returned to the party that final time to return the gun and collect $2000, which had fallen out of the man’s bum bag earlier in the night. The defence said the man fired the fatal shots after partygoers advanced on them. Lawyers representing the man said Rawiri was not only his friend, but a fellow gang member and he would never have intentionally shot him. The woman’s lawyers said she didn’t foresee how events would unfold that night and never fired the fatal shots or told her partner to do so. The verdicts were delivered to a silent and virtually empty courtroom. Due to safety concerns, only two representatives from the Wharerau family were seated in court to hear the verdict. Family members of the defendants and victims watched from separate courtrooms or listened to the verdicts by audio link. Four court security officers stood inside the main courtroom, while another six were stationed in two other courtrooms within the High Court. Three police officers stood inside the courthouse while two others stood outside. It’s understood members of the Wharerau family who were seated in another courtroom were upset at the verdicts, with some yelling expletives as they were read out. Justice Dale La Hood convicted the man and remanded him in custody before his sentencing in June. The woman was remanded on bail and will also be sentenced in June. Justice La Hood also ordered a continuation of the couple’s name suppression. 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. Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:16:24 Z /news/crime/huntly-robbery-police-appeal-for-sightings-of-silver-nissan-march/ /news/crime/huntly-robbery-police-appeal-for-sightings-of-silver-nissan-march/ Waikato police have appealed to the public for sightings of a silver Nissan March believed to be involved in an incident where three men allegedly assaulted a shop employee. The aggravated robbery allegedly happened at a commercial premises on Bridge Street, Huntly, at about 7.15pm on Sunday. According to a police statement, the employee received minor injuries and was shaken by the incident. Police investigating an aggravated robbery in Huntly are appealing for sightings of a silver Nissan March. “They are being provided support,” police said. “The group targeted cash from the premises before leaving the area in a four-door silver Nissan March.” Police said the vehicle was seen “driving erratically” from Bridge St onto Harris St after the incident. “Police are appealing for any sightings of the silver Nissan, used in the incident and would urge anyone with information to get in touch with us. “We would especially like to speak with the driver of a small red vehicle, heading north on Bridge St around the time of the aggravated burglary.” Police said there was “no reason” to believe the driver of the red vehicle was involved in the alleged robbery. “We are eager to speak with them as they may have valuable information to share.” Anyone with information relating to the aggravated robbery is asked to contact police at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105 using reference number 250414/0068. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 0800 555 111. Tue, 15 Apr 2025 03:39:20 Z /news/crime/auckland-airport-drug-bust-52kg-meth-and-cocaine-seized/ /news/crime/auckland-airport-drug-bust-52kg-meth-and-cocaine-seized/ Customs officers seized over 52kg of methamphetamine and cocaine at Auckland Airport. A 24-year-old from Chile was charged after 2kg of cocaine was found in his suitcase. The drugs’ estimated street value is $19.7 million, with potential harm costs of $54m. Customs officers have seized more than 52kg of methamphetamine and cocaine at Auckland International Airport. The first interception came after approximately 50kg of methamphetamine was found in two unaccompanied bags on a flight from San Francisco. In the second interception, 2kg of cocaine were found concealed in the suitcase of a 24-year-old foreign national who arrived in Auckland on a flight from Chile. He has since been charged with the importation and possession for supply of a Class A controlled drug. The estimated street value of the seized methamphetamine and cocaine is up to $19.7 million, and could have caused around $54m in potential harm and cost to New Zealand. Unaccompanied bags located by Customs officers at Auckland International Airport in April 2025 were found to have vacuum-sealed packages of methamphetamine inside. Photo / Customs These recent seizures, combined with the 25kg of drugs seized on April 8, bring the total amount of drugs seized at the airport in less than a week to approximately 78kg. “This demonstrates the need for constant vigilance, information-sharing, and networking across the aviation sector,” said Ben Wells, the acting Customs Auckland Airport manager. “It’s a combined effort to keep illicit drugs out of New Zealand communities and stop criminals from cultivating user demand.” Unaccompanied bags located by Customs officers at Auckland International Airport in April 2025 were found to have vacuum-sealed packages of methamphetamine inside. Photo / Customs He said Customs will continue to work with the industry to secure the supply chain and quickly identify and stop any risks. The public is also encouraged to protect New Zealand’s border and communities by reporting any suspicious activity to Customs or Crimestoppers. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:22:05 Z /news/crime/tracey-castle-jailed-for-intentionally-driving-her-ute-into-woman-after-new-plymouth-street-fight/ /news/crime/tracey-castle-jailed-for-intentionally-driving-her-ute-into-woman-after-new-plymouth-street-fight/ A woman involved in a late-night brawl on a city street got into her ute and drove towards the group she’d been fighting with before ploughing into a woman and crushing her into a concrete wall. But while Tracey Lee Castle, who was behind the wheel, accepts she seriously hurt Saraphine Hoyle and should be punished, she maintains she did not intend to. Following the September 3, 2023, incident, Castle unsuccessfully defended charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and threatening to kill at a judge-alone trial before Judge Russell Collins in New Plymouth District Court in March. Today, she returned to court to be sentenced on the charges, as well as an admitted count of excess breath alcohol causing injury, also relating to injuring Hoyle. Several other charges laid against Castle relating to the incident were withdrawn. The incident left Hoyle with significant injuries to her hips and ankle. It took her six months to relearn to walk and she still struggles with mobility and pain. She has had multiple surgeries, with more to come, and spent more than three months away from her young daughter while in hospital. In her victim impact statement read to the court, Hoyle spoke of the toll the incident had taken on her - physically, emotionally and financially. She said it had also significantly affected her daughter and her family, who have supported her through her recovery. Hoyle did not believe she would ever get justice for what they had endured. “Although Castles may be sentenced to prison for what she has done to me, for what I have to live through, and thank God I lived, I feel there would never be justice in the world to cover my pain, injuries and trauma, caused to not only me but my daughter as she has had to watch me live through all of this. “But it will be some sort of comfort to know that she will finally be held somewhat accountable.” Hoyle concluded her statement by stating she believed Castle should have been charged with attempted murder. Crown prosecutor Rebekah Hicklin submitted a starting point of six years’ imprisonment was appropriate, raising the extreme violence, use of a weapon, drink-driving, the threat made by Castle, and grievous injury as aggravating factors. Hicklin said that despite the offending being found to be deliberate, Castle still has not taken responsibility. She said a presentence report noted she continued to deny it was intentional. Defence lawyer Julian Hannam argued for a starting point of three years and six months and said Castle was truly sorry for what occurred. He submitted Castle should receive credit for her remorse and also to recognise Hoyle’s provocation. Judge Collins accepted Castle was remorseful but not that there was provocation involved. Sarahphine Hoyle's pelvic area and ankle were crushed in the incident. Photo / Supplied “I have no doubt that on the night, in a rage, impaired by alcohol, with the motive that you had, you formed a fleeting intention to cause Ms Hoyle really serious harm, and that’s what you did,” he said. However, Castle has struggled to come to terms with that being the case, he said. On the provocation, Judge Collins said Castle had instigated the altercation, then found herself worse off. Even if it was a situation where Castle had been provoked, the judge said he still would not allow a discount because her reaction was disproportionate to “whatever provocation there may have been”. The judge took a starting point of five years’ imprisonment before giving credit for her remorse and the impact her sentence would have on her children, resulting in a prison term of four years. He also ordered Castle to pay Hoyle reparation of $4464 and disqualified her from driving for one year and one day. ‘The necessary intent at the critical time’ At the trial, Judge Collins heard it was around 2.30am when Castle stopped at the Liardet St and Devon St East traffic lights in central New Plymouth and began yelling through the window at a young man on the street, who was with a young woman. Castle eventually got out of her Nissan Navara, leaving it running at the intersection, and confronted him about allegedly drugging someone she knew at an earlier party. She said she wanted to make sure the woman was okay and to warn her against the man, who has permanent name suppression. Tracey Lee Castle drove her ute into Sarahphine Hoyle on Liardet St in New Plymouth. Photo / NZ Police But the confrontation, which turned physical, did not go in her favour as the then 38-year-old, who directed violence at Hoyle, was in the end “much worse off”. Hoyle had seen the man, her friend, arguing with Castle and ran to him to prevent matters from escalating. After being shoved around by Castle, Hoyle told the court she “fought back” and “pummelled” Castle. Castle retreated to her ute, bleeding, and performed a three-point turn. She accelerated and ploughed into Hoyle, pinning the young mother to the concrete wall and crushing her pelvic area and ankle in the process. A friend of Hoyle’s laid into Castle, attacking her, while Hoyle was picked up from the ground and moved away from the ute and others phoned emergency services seeking help. After the incident, Castle described herself to police as “seeing red” and being “so angry and so worked up” at the time. However, she back-pedalled on that part of her statement. Castle gave evidence in her defence, during which she said she did not recall feeling angry after the fight and could not remember her interview with police. Sarahphine Hoyle's pelvic area and ankle were crushed in the incident. Photo / Supplied She did recall, however, being “annoyed” by the “group jumping”. “If you’ve got a problem with me, fine, but you come at me one-on-one,” she said. Castle said she could not recall threatening Hoyle. She said she did not intend to drive on to the footpath or to hurt Hoyle, who was considered the main aggressor against Castle in the earlier fight. Castle, who said she had five drinks during the night, had “just wanted to scare her”, she claimed. But Judge Collins rejected Castle’s claim that she only intended to scare Hoyle, finding she intended to seriously harm her and had also threatened to kill her. He said Castle got out of her ute and “acting out of her own sense of vigilantism” provoked an altercation with a group of much younger people. Her violence was mostly directed at Hoyle and in the end, she ended up “much worse off”, he said. The judge ruled that while Castle’s intention to hurt Hoyle may have been fleeting, and she has ever since regretted it, she still had “the necessary intent at the critical time”. Tara Shaskey joined ob体育接口 in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 02:48:42 Z