Name suppression lifted for one of the two men charged with murder of Chris Bush in the infamous 1987 cold case.
One of the men alleged to have committed murder while robbing the Red Fox Tavern more than 30 years ago can now be named.
Name suppression has been lifted from Mark Joseph Hoggart, 58, of Tauranga.
Hoggart was arrested last August and charged with the murder of publican Chris Bush, who was shot during the armed robbery of the Maramarua Tavern just before midnight on a Saturday in October 1987.
He has also been charged with aggravated robbery. He has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in April next year.
A second man has also been charged with murder and robbery in connection to the infamous killing, although his identity is suppressed until the trial.
Name suppression for Hoggart, who lived at a rural property in Omanawa on the outskirts of Tauranga, was lifted by Justice Mathew Downs in October.
However, his name has been kept secret until now because Hoggart's lawyer Craig Tuck appealed the ruling.
The Court of Appeal turned down the appeal today.
The trial scheduled for next April is estimated to last 12 weeks.
No developments had been made public in the 30-year-old cold case until police last year announced they were re-investigating. A few months later, Hoggart and another man were arrested.
Chris Bush had been enjoying a drink with three other staff members after closing the Red Fox Tavern, on State Highway 2, when two heavily disguised men entered the bar.
One carried a double-barrelled shotgun and the other a baseball bat, and they allegedly yelled, "this is a hold-up".
As Bush stood up, he was shot and killed.
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Name suppression lifted in Red Fox Tavern murder case
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Rest home resident fleeced by meth addict with 152 convictions and jailed 82 times
An 88-year-old woman suffering Parkinson's disease was fleeced of $45,000 by a man who has been jailed 82 times.
Damien Hakaraia was sentenced by the Whanganui District Court this week to 22 months' imprisonment on 23 charges of using a document to obtain an advantage.
Judge Dugald Matheson also ordered Hakaraia to pay $7500 reparation costs.
Judge Matheson told the court that Hakaraia's partner was an alleged co-offender and was employed at the healthcare facility where the victim lived.
"She was employed as a caregiver at the healthcare facility. She dealt with the victim and had access to her personal affairs," the judge said.
"The victim had her eftpos card stolen from her handbag (which was) in her wardrobe in her room."
On October 4, Hakaraia's partner failed to report to work and on October 18 she informed her manager that she would not be returning and resigned from her role.
"Over a period of time, this defendant and his co-offender used the victim's stolen eftpos card to complete numerous transactions over numerous locations," Judge Matheson said.
"As is often the way with matters such as this, he has nothing to show for the amount taken from the victim."
The victim had $30,000 returned to her by her bank, but in a statement, her niece said that the process had been extremely stressful for both herself and her aunt.
It stated that the victim was devastated when she learned what had happened and it took her some time to get over the impact of her trust being breached.
Judge Matheson said Hakaraia's life revolved around methamphetamine and gambling. During October he made transactions at local bars and TAB outlets throughout the Central Districts using the victim's eftpos card.
"Mr Hakaraia has appeared nearly every year since [his] first convictions in the district court back in 1998 and he has some 20 pages of adult convictions totalling in all 152," Judge Matheson said.
"He has been sadly imprisoned 82 times for separate offences. He is caught in a vicious cycle and he's currently receiving treatment for depression."
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Labour Party camp indecent assault accused appears in court
A man accused of indecent assaults at a Labour Party summer youth camp has pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court this morning.
The 20-year-old was arrested last month and appeared for the first time in the Auckland District Court this morning.
He faces six counts of indecent assault against four complainants and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The accused was granted interim name suppression and bailed to appear again later this year.
The charges followed a police investigation into allegations from a Labour Party summer camp at Waihi, on the Coromandel Peninsula, in February.
Labour Party president Nigel Haworth said after the arrest: "The Labour Party backs the decision of the police to lay charges against an individual relating to allegations of indecent assault at the Young Labour summer camp earlier this year.
"The party's internal report, prepared by Maria Austen [formerly Berryman], is focused on the party's policies and procedures around the summer camp, if they were properly applied, and how we should correct any deficiencies.
"Maria Austen's investigation is ongoing and separate from the police actions ... We will report back on her findings once we have received and considered them."
The allegations of indecent assaults against four young people, all believed to be 16, surfaced in March.
The alleged assaults occurred at an evening event, where reports emerged later detailed claims of heavy and underage drinking.
Earlier that day Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had spoken to the group.
Labour's hierarchy failed to tell Ardern about the scandal, while complaints followed about the handling of its aftermath and the failure to refer the issue to police at the time.
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Elderly woman victim in 'disgusting' mugging on Rotorua street
An elderly woman with dementia has been the victim of a "disgusting" daylight mugging, having her handbag stolen while walking down a suburban street.
The daughter-in-law of the woman is urging people to be aware - this is the second handbag-snatching incident in three months.
Diane Van den Akker was "disgusted" to hear her mother-in-law, who suffers from dementia, was mugged last Friday while walking down Marguerita St.
Therese Shortall lives in the Glenbrae Arvida Retirement facility nearby and often walks to and from the bus stop on her own.
"She doesn't really remember it, which in a sense is a good thing, but she does have pretty bad bruising up her arm," Van den Akker said.
A neighbour reported the incident to Rotorua police, saying two young women pulled over their car before one got out and snatched the handbag off Shortall's arm.
"She's a tiny little thing, with a walking stick," Van den Akker said.
"I just couldn't believe they would do that to someone on purpose."
Van den Akker said when she spoke to the rest home she discovered her mother wasn't the only one to have been approached or robbed.
As reported in the Rotorua Daily Post at the time, two young women stole a handbag from an elderly woman walking on Fenton St in April.
"To be preying on the older people is something else, especially to know this is women.
"I think they're just looking at opportune moments."
She said Shortall couldn't remember the incident but she certainly hadn't mentioned catching the bus again.
"She's finding things really hard at the moment, it's been such a shock, I think her dementia is actually worse."
Shortall told the Rotorua Daily Post it had been difficult having all her cards and her chequebook taken.
Glenbrae Arvida Retirement and Care manager Maria Jay said she had delivered a letter to the residents letting them know what happened.
"There are some sad people out there who do target our elderly and certainly when we delivered the letters, people were already aware and do take precautions."
She said residents were careful not to wearing bags over their shoulders and were particular with the type of wallets they chose.
"It is really sad they have to be so vigilant.
"We are supporting them to live the life they want to live and people are taking advantage of that.
"Our residents will still be catching the bus and going out for walks."
Rotorua police area prevention manager Inspector Brendon Keenan said there had been similar incidents before.
"Anyone that's vulnerable is open to this opportunist-type offending.
"It's not good at all, these are often the people in our community we want to protect the most."
Keenan said it helped for people to travel together but he knew that wasn't always possible.
"It's also important to conceal items, don't make your bag too visible, use pockets or smaller bags."
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Christchurch man walking his dogs critical after suspected hit-and-run: Police seek witnesses
A Christchurch man was left in a critical condition after he was hit by a vehicle while taking his dogs for a walk near his home in Dallington.
Christchurch police are appealing to the public for information relating to the 30-year-old man who was located on Gayhurst Rd at 2.30am this morning after what appeared to be a hit-and-run.
The man had left his Dallington home at about midnight to take his two dogs for a walk and was located on the north side of the Gayhurst Rd bridge in a critical condition.
His two dogs were found nearby unharmed.
"We would like to appeal to the public for sightings of the man walking the dogs in the Dallington area in the hours after midnight, and to anyone who witnessed what happened to the man for him to sustain these injuries.
"Police believe that the driver of the vehicle that hit the man would be certain that they hit something substantial and now that they have had time to reflect on what has happened we would like them to contact us," a police spokesperson said.
The man remained in Christchurch Hospital in a critical condition.
If anyone had any information they were asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or phone 021 191 1854 to speak to Detective Ben Rolton, or email Ben.Rolton@police.govt.nz.
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17-year-old faces assault charge after schoolground knife incident
A 17-year-old Oamaru pupil who allegedly cut a fellow pupil with a knife on school grounds faces an assault charge.
Police were called to St Kevin's College about 10.25am after the pupil was involved in an altercation with a 16-year-old pupil, who received a small cut to the hand during the clash on Wednesday. He did not require medical treatment.
The older pupil was arrested and charged with assault and will appear in the Oamaru District Court on July 18.
It is alleged the 17-year-old took the weapon, a pocket knife, to school with him because he feared he would be attacked by the other pupil involved, police have said.
St Kevin's College principal Paul Olsen said the school would not comment on the incident while it was before the court.
Senior Constable Carl Pedersen, of Oamaru, said the school had "everything under control" by the time police arrived.
While he confirmed a knife was involved, the cut "could easily" have been caused by the handle of the weapon.
Investigations were continuing.
Snr Constable Pedersen said it was never a good idea to be armed with a weapon in a situation that could escalate.
"Taking a knife into any situation where there is going to be a confrontation is just escalating it. If you think you are at risk, you just walk away.
"It could have been worse, but in saying that ... it only takes one punch for someone to fall the wrong way and that can be a lot worse. I said to the young man, if you hadn't taken the knife, the boy might have punched you and he might have been the offender.
"I just think that if people are planning a confrontation like that, from either side, they need to take a step back and think of the stupidity and risk involved.
"While it might seem like it's going to be a little tussle, it might escalate."
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Cider-fuelled spit-fest: 'I have AIDS and I'm going to spit on you'
A woman who went on a cider-fuelled spit-fest at a Dunedin police station has been ordered to undertake counselling.
Angela Marie Robertson, 35, faced two charges of attempting to infect police officers with hepatitis C, which carry a potential jail term of up to seven years.
But those charges were withdrawn by the Crown at the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
Robertson pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting police and one of wilful damage.
The incident originated at the woman's Wakari home at 2.40am on March 25.
She had broken her front door and was in a "very intoxicated" state, a summary of facts said.
In court yesterday, Robertson admitted she should not have been drinking because of her liver problems but claimed only to have had "a couple".
Judge Michael Crosbie asked her what her drink of choice had been.
"Cider," she said.
"Ah, scrumpy," he replied.
The situation deteriorated significantly at the Dunedin Central station where officers processed her.
"The defendant was belligerent, abusive and bleeding from her right little finger," the court heard.
But Robertson shunned any offers of help.
Her abuse of police continued to the point where officers tried to restrain her.
The defendant told a sergeant: "I have aids and I'm going to spit at you."
She followed through on the threat but the officer was able to avoid the flying phlegm.
Once in a cell, Robertson continued to play up, removing her trousers and tying them around her neck.
A constable went in to dissuade her from such actions and was also told he would be spat on and infected.
This time the spittle found its mark, landing on the victim's arm.
The court heard Robertson had paid for the damage to the door and so no reparation was ordered.
Judge Crosbie sentenced the woman to nine months' supervision - a rehabilitative sentence aimed at addressing her issues.
He asked her to put herself in the shoes of the officers who had to deal with her that day.
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Morrinsville gunman Rollie Heke pleads guilty
The man who went on Rambo-style shooting rampage targeting police near Morrinsville has pleaded guilty.
Rollie James Heke pleaded guilty at the High Court in Hamilton to one representative charge of using a firearm against law enforcement officers for the August 13 incident last year.
The 36-year-old also faced three attempted murder charges but they will be removed at sentencing in August.
Heke was labelled the "rural Rambo" is at the centre of a massive manhunt after shooting at police officers during a vehicle pursuit in Morrinsville on August 13 last year.
Armed police surrounded a Morrinsville house and called for Heke to come out, firing teargas into the property. But despite a search of the house and a neighbouring property, there was no sign of him.
He went on the run for two weeks sparking a massive manhunt across the North Island.
On August 25 he was found and arrested at an address in Kaingaroa Forest township.
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Doctor accused of Amber-Rose's murder makes fresh bail bid
A Dunedin doctor accused of the murder of a Dunedin teen has made a renewed bid for bail.
Venod Skantha, 30, is charged with the murder of 16-year-old Amber-Rose Rush, who was found dead in her Corstorphine home on February 2.
Skantha – then a doctor at Dunedin Hospital – was charged days later and granted permanent name suppression.
That lapsed in May after he had pleaded not guilty to the charge, as well as a count of indecent assault and four of threatening to kill.
Skantha appeared before the High Court at Dunedin this morning where he applied for electronically-monitored bail.
A similar application was made in April and Justice Gerald Nation declined bail on that occasion.
Today Justice Cameron Mander reserved his decision, which he said would be released shortly.
Defence and Crown counsel made extensive submissions about the case and strength of the evidence but no details can be published, so fair trial rights can be preserved.
The Medical Council database says Skantha graduated from the University of Auckland in 2014.
The website previously said he was registered to practise medicine in the position of "house officer" at the Southern District Health Board.
His practising certificate was due to lapse in February but his record no longer appears online.
After Skantha's name became public, Amber-Rose's mother Lisa Ann told the Otago Daily Times she remained inconsolable.
"I can't deal with this on top of the loss of my child. I don't think anyone understands," she said.
Three weeks later, Mrs Rush was also found dead. Police said the circumstances were not suspicious and it is believed to be a suspected suicide.
In the days following Amber-Rose's death, police launched a search of waterways at Blackhead.
They later confirmed they had found "an item of interest". They then asked for public sightings of a silver BMW travelling between Dunedin and Balclutha early on February 3.
Skantha is scheduled to appear in court again later this month. His trial is set down for March next year.
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NZ's dumbest crim? Facebook sale led police to his door
A Facebook offer of stolen property and ''green" led police to uncover a host of incriminating material which has landed a Whanganui man in jail.
Judge Dugald Matheson sentenced Kane Winika, 30, to two years' imprisonment in Whanganui District Court.
Winika was convicted of receiving property, possessing cannabis for supply, possessing utensils to consume drugs, unlawfully possessing ammunition and taking cards for pecuniary advantage.
Judge Matheson set the scene for the court.
"Between midday on 26 March and the 3rd of April, Land Meat New Zealand were subject to a burglary, an unknown number of offenders removed a large amount of property, including climbing equipment and portable radios and a radio hand piece.
"All of that property belonged to Land Meats."
On April 3, Winika listed the stolen items for sale on a Facebook page, as well as advertising "green" for sale, green being a common term for cannabis.
"At around 2.55pm on the third of April, police executed a search warrant and located not only the items identified, but also pipes, eight cannabis tinnies and nine rounds of ammunition," Judge Matheson said.
"Then, on the 29th of March, the second victim parked his vehicle at his workplace and from that vehicle you would take a wallet and credit cards."
Winika used two cards multiple times, one a Mastercard on which he spent $327 and the other a Westpac bank card which had $400 spent from it.
"You have a history which includes drug related offending and in excess of 30 dishonesty offences, also, ammunition and cannabis are not a good mix," Judge Matheson said.
"I need to hold you accountable, I need to denounce and deter your behaviour, there will be 24 months' imprisonment."
Judge Matheson ordered reparation of $417.88 to Westpac and $115.80 to ANZ.
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Prison term cut for Head Hunters gang boss due to ill health
One of the most senior Head Hunters gang members has successfully appealed the length of his sentence after he was jailed on a raft of methamphetamine charges.
In April last year, high-profile gangster William "Bird" Hines was jailed for 18 years and six months with a minimum non-parole period of eight years and four months.
At sentencing in the High Court at Auckland, Justice Jonathan Downs said Hines' ill health was taken into account or he may have faced a heftier term.
The court heard Hines has Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and end-stage renal failure.
His five-week trial was interrupted every second day for his dialysis treatment.
Hines was one of nine people convicted in relation to serious methamphetamine-related offences.
Justice Downs sentenced the offenders on the basis that each of them had, in various ways, been responsible for manufacturing approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine in 2015.
William Hines (in the centre wearing sunglasses) with other members of the Head Hunters gang. Photograph supplied
Hines was the perceived architect of the criminal group.
Justice Downs set a starting point of 16 years in jail for Hines and uplifted that by four years to reflect factors including his "extensive" criminal history, which included previous offences against the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
He then reduced the sentence by 18 months on account of Hines' medical conditions.
Justice Downs said had Hines been healthy, he would have imposed a minimum non-parole period of 55 per cent of the total sentence.
However, he set the period at eight years and four months.
In appealing his convictions Hines claimed Justice Downs "failed to sufficiently stress the need for the jury to resist speculation" in relation to circumstantial evidence and did not address or direct the jury as to "how they should approach a case where more than one inference is reasonably available on the evidence".
He also claimed Justice Downs direction against prejudice was "insufficientlystrong" given the central focus of the Crown case on the fact that Hines was a gang member and the president of the Head Hunters.
After hearing the appeal, Justice Rebecca Ellis rejected Hines' bid to have his convictions overturned.
"None of the grounds of appeal against conviction disclose any error on the partof the Judge," she said in a Court of Appeal decision released today.
"The conviction appeal must be dismissed."
In regards to his sentence, Hines appealed on the basis that the starting point was too high due to the fact he had miscalculated the amount of methamphetamine produced by the gangsters.
Hines said Justice Downs also "gave insufficient consideration to and discount" for his medical condition and in particular "the degree of extra suffering that the condition would result in from a sentence of imprisonment".
"The judge failed to give consideration to section 8 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (NZBORA) which guarantees the right to life," Hines' appeal stated.
Justice Ellis agreed that Hines should have been granted more of a discount for his ill health.
She said if the current sentence and minimum non-parole period stood, Hines would be in his early 70s before he was eligible for release.
She said he had already been on dialysis for six years and referred to a doctor's report prepared for the Court of Appeal outlining survival rates after five years for patients like Hines.
"Relatedly, we also accept that the possibility of a transplant (were a kidney to become available) while he remains in prison is remote.
"The imposition of an MPI therefore has a potentially direct effect on Mr Hines' life expectancy.
"On the basis of the (somewhat limited) medical information before us it seems that the chances of him completing the minimum period seem far from good.
"And while, on the evidence, it seems Mr Hines' medical conditions are managed adequately in prison, it cannot be said that the care he receives is equivalent to that which he received in the community; the reduced frequency and duration of his dialysis treatment speaks for itself.
"So do the (at best) very limited transplant opportunities."
Justice Ellis quashed the sentence of 18 years and six months' imprisonment and replaced it with a sentence of 17 years.
She also quashed the minimum period of imprisonment of eight years and four months.
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Rustling, and castrated bulls, but no one to charge
After waking up to find someone had castrated two of his bulls, a Hawke's Bay farmer expected the police to arrest and charge the culprit.
Instead he says he was advised to sell up and move.
Pongaroa farmer David Vitsky said the incident was the latest in a litany of stock rustling and rural crime stretching back several years, but Hawke's Bay police say they are unable to gather firm evidence to charge anyone."We've been plagued by a continuous raid of stock rustling, thefts and the police fail to get prosecutions," Vitsky told Hawke's Bay Today.
The spate of issues had been ongoing for more than six years at his and other properties in the area, he said.
In the latest incident, someone applied castrating rings to two expensive bull calves he had intended to use for breeding."You put a ring on his testicles and they drop off so it then becomes a steer and it can't be used for breeding. I spent a lot of money on these animals and now they have become useless."
Other issues in the area included thefts and, on one occasion, a whole cow was "chopped up"."The previous person to me who had this property left for similar reasons. There's also two other people up the road who have had stock stolen. It's just going on and on and on."
However, the police had been unable to apprehend a suspect without photographic evidence."The police said to me sell my property and the problems will go away. That's just passing it on to the next owner. It has gone beyond a joke."
However, Senior Sergeant Jymahl Glassey said all complaints of cattle rustling were taken seriously and did not go ignored.
With regards to Vitsky's complaint about castration of his bulls, police had made inquiries, he said."As already discussed with the complainant, unfortunately there is no admissible evidence to support the assertion that there is a particular person responsible."If anyone has any evidence relating to this incident they are asked to contact local police.Police appreciate that it is often difficult for rural victims to offer evidence or locate eye witnesses."
Glassey said the police advised people to use CCTV cameras and ensure they could look out for each other's properties."It is really important for neighbouring farmers to have good working relationships with each other so they can keep an eye out for each other's property and stock as well as alerting each other to strangers in the area."Caring for those farming around you and developing good working relationships and farming practices between neighbours are probably the number one tools in counteracting stock loss."Stock do wander through damaged fencing and some farmers accept there is some movement in stock numbers from time to time but that they should equal out when their neighbour discovers them and returns them as per ethical farming practices."In terms of crime prevention, security options for farmers to consider include installing CCTV or wireless alert systems which can activate an alarm in your house to alert you that someone is in your shed by alarm or light sensors."These devices are highly effective and can even work in areas across some distance, where there is no cell coverage."
Vitsky told Hawke's Bay Today said he had now made an official complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the situation.
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One dead, two injured in shooting in Melville, Hamilton
A man has died and two others are seriously injured following a shooting in Hamilton overnight.
Waikato police are investigating the fatal shooting at a Melville address at around 1am.
A 23-year-old man has died and a 20-year-old woman and 17-year-old man are seriously injured.
Police were called by one of the victims after a number of shots were fired inside a house at the address.
The two injured victims were taken to Waikato Hospital.
A scene examination will commence today with scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) called in.
Anyone with information relating to the incident is asked to contact the investigation team at the Hamilton Police Station or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Hamilton shooting victim died protecting his girlfriend, says sister
A man fatally shot in a Hamilton house overnight was lying in bed and died protecting his partner in the gunfire, his family says.
Robert Nelson, 23, is believed to have died at the scene of a shooting at 4 Matthews Cres, Melville about 1am this morning.
READ MORE: One dead, two injured, in Hamilton shooting
His 20-year-old partner Kahlee and a 17-year-old man, believed to be a family friend, were also seriously injured.
The two injured victims were taken to Waikato Hospital.
This morning a hospital spokesperson said the woman was in a serious condition in the High Dependency Unit, while the teenager was critical in the Intensive Care Unit.
The shooter is still at large.
Nelson's family is stunned by the murder.
His sister Erin said they believed the attack was random or a case of mistaken identity by a gang. She stressed her brother was an "innocent person caught in the crossfire"."Somebody arrived to the house and attacked about four people inside. There was another person holed up inside who wasn't injured," she said.
Her brother had died "covering his girlfriend" from the bullets, Erin said.
She was "absolutely gutted" and described her brother as her "best friend" and a "fun, happy guy" with a "bright future"."He was a year older than me. His name was Robert and I am Erin so we were Burt and Ernie you know. It is absolutely gutting for us," she said."He had such a bright future. He was a chef and just getting his apprenticeship sorted out and about to move on to real nice restaurant soon."He will be remembered as the fun, happy guy. He always had a smile on his face and a little sparkle in his eye. He was the life of the party and has been taken so savagely."
Erin Nelson said the two injured victims had severe injuries and were in intensive care. One of them had gone through surgery.
She believed the two victims had also been shot.
Robert Nelson also had a younger brother and two half siblings."The family loves him and the world lost a really great person. He has touched a lot of people's lives and they are now going to be missing such a bright person," Erin Nelson said."We have a really good network down here so we will be fine, and he was part of one of the biggest hospitality groups in Hamilton which he was quite a big part of, so we will have a lot of support."
A neighbour on Matthews Cres said she slept right through the incident but knew the family who lived at the address."They are fabulous neighbours. I am quite upset about it," she said."They were really kind and nice to me."They never have parties so I don't know what the hell is going on."
The neigbour said there were two armed offenders squad members guarding the property.
A scene examination will commence today, with scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) called in.
Anyone with information relating to the incident is asked to contact the investigation team at the Hamilton Police Station, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Hamilton police looking for shooting suspect
Hamilton police are still looking for a person who is on the run, after a 23-year-old man was shot dead in a house early on Sunday morning.
Robert Nelson was killed, and two others received serious injuries after multiple shots were fired in a house on Matthews Crescent in Melville.
It's understood Nelson was protecting his girlfriend from the gunfire when he died.
A 17-year-old man is in a critical condition, and a 20-year-old woman is seriously injured but stable.
They are both in Waikato Hospital.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ross Patterson says the shooting was targeted and it's unlikely the public is at any risk.
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Closing arguments begin in Black Power trial
The trial of a group of Black Power gang members facing charges relating to a confrontation with Mongrel Mob adversaries during a funeral procession at Whakatāne 18 months ago has reached its closing stages in the High Court at Rotorua.
On trial are Benjamin Biddle, Whitu Taipete, Codie Taitapanui, Te Reneti Tarau and Taumata Tawhai.
A sixth defendant, Stalone Harawera, has been discharged after Justice Graham Lang ruled there was insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against him.
Other charges the defendants face are rioting, participating in an organised criminal group, using a firearm against law enforcement officers and recklessly discharging firearms.
Charges of unlawful possession of a firearm against Biddle, Taipete and Tawhai have also been dismissed but remain against Taitapanui and Tarau
Lawyers for the five defendants who remain on trial indicated this morning their clients would not be giving or calling evidence.
Crown prosecutor Richard Jenson has begun his opening argument which is expected to take all morning.
The trial, which was set down for six weeks when it opened on June 25, has moved quicker than anticipated.
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Police ask for help identifying a man in relation to an alleged rape in Hamilton
Hamilton Police are appealing to the public over an alleged rape in the central city on May 20th.
The alleged incident occurred around 3am in the Hamilton Museum Carpark.
New CCTV footage has been released, in the hope the man will come forward, or someone who may know who it is.
The male is described as being of Indian decent, approximately 172cm tall, skinny build and clean shaven with short black hair
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Rapper Scribe facing new 'domestic' charge
Rapper Scribe's bid to avoid a conviction over P possession has been delayed after it emerged that he faces a new police allegation.
The chart-topping hip-hop artist, whose real name is Malo Ioane Luafutu, was due to be sentenced at Christchurch District Court this afternoon on a charge of methamphetamine possession.
Scribe, 39, was hoping for a discharge without conviction.
But the sentencing was adjourned when Judge Raoul Neave learned that Scribe faces a new charge.
He appeared at Waitakere District Court on Friday on what his defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said was "of a domestic nature". Other details of today's court discussions were suppressed.
The case has been moved to Christchurch and he will appear in court again on July 27.
Judge Neave adjourned sentencing on the meth charge to September 25.
Scribe had five other charges, including further drug allegations, bail breaches, and possession of an offensive weapon, dismissed after a judge-alone trial at Christchurch District Court in March.
The father-of-four denied swearing, shouting, wielding the baseball bat, or tapping the car with his bat.
The rapper's star began to rise when he released his debut album The Crusader - a nod to the Canterbury rugby team - in 2003.
Scribe is a cousin of musicians Ladi6, real name Karolyn Tamati, and Tyra Hammond from the band Opensouls.
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Christchurch teen Katrina Epiha has murder trial delayed
The trial of a teenager accused of fatally stabbing another woman at a Christchurch house party has been delayed.
Katrina Roma Epiha, 19, has been charged with murdering Alicia Maree Nathan also known as Robinson, a 32-year-old mother-of-one, at an Avonhead Rd property on August 5 last year.
Her murder trial was due to begin at the High Court in Christchurch on Monday.
However, it has now been delayed. The reasons for the delay have been suppressed.
Epiha has been remanded in custody to a new pre-trial callover on September 7.
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Auckland cop under investigation over alleged inappropriate behaviour with women
An Auckland police officer is under investigation and facing suspension following allegations from multiple women of inappropriate behaviour and unwanted attention.
The Herald has learned the officer, based in the Waitemata Police District, was handed a suspendion notice last week after numerous accusations were levelled at him.
It is understood police initially started investigating the officer after his ex-girlfriend complained that he had been harassing her using a cellphone.
As his colleagues looked into that complaint, a number of other allegations of inappropriate behaviour with other women he made contact with while on duty reportedly came to light.
The officer was put on restricted duties when the first allegation was made but was last week suspended.
The Herald, alerted to the investigation by a source close to the police, has chosen not to publish the officer's name while he is subject to a criminal investigation.
The source was concerned about the allegations and that the officer was being "deviant".
He did not want the officer's alleged behaviour to tarnish the rest of the police."His behaviour is obviously concerning but any big organisation is going to get some bad eggs that ruin it for everyone else," he said.
Waitemata District Commander Superintendent Tusha Penny said the initial complaint about the officer was received in late 2017.
She confirmed that an internal employment investigation was currently underway and a separate investigation was also being undertaken to determine whether there was any criminal liability."On the face of it, these allegations appear deeply concerning and if found to be proven after a thorough and fair investigation, police will take appropriate action that would reflect the seriousness of these allegations," Penny told the Herald."The public should be assured that we take any allegation of staff misconduct extremely seriously and I give every assurance that these complaints will be fully investigated."I also want to assure the public that we have a robust investigation process in place to ensure that any staff complaints about conduct are thoroughly investigated, which the IPCA has oversight of."
Penny could not comment on the specifics of the investigations, complaint or allegations."New Zealand Police has the same privacy obligations when it comes to employment matters as any other employer and we are not able to comment further about ongoing matters," she said.
Penny said allegations about police conduct were taken extremely seriously."It is well known by all our staff what behaviours they are expected to display when they are interacting with the public and the non-negotiable standard that our values will be met," she said."Police take immense pride in the quality of our staff – great New Zealanders who take an oath to protect and serve our communities. "The cornerstone of how we operate are our values – they are not just words but have real meaning in how we deliver a service to the public; a public who rightfully expect the high standards that internally are demanded from each other."
The allegations against the officer were also the subject of an Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation.
By law police are required to notify the IPCA over any serious complaints made about officers.
Who investigates police?
The police have a Professional Conduct group that works to ensure the "actions, conduct and procedures" of staff is such that the public's trust and confidence in police is maintained.
Maintaining and increasing high levels of trust and confidence is one of the organisation's top priorities."Police is committed to ensuring we provide an excellent quality of service to the public," the Professional Conduct web page states."Police Professional Conduct is primarily focused on prevention, ensuring employees have the support to enable them to maintain their professionalism.""Police recognise that despite the best of intentions, individual staff members and or the organisation as a whole, don't always 'get it right' - meaning there is always the potential for complaints or expressions of dissatisfaction to be made."When incidents do occur, the focus of Police Professional Conduct shifts to doing all that is possible for those involved to feel satisfied that the lessons learnt from the incident will only improve everyone's trust and confidence.
All complaints are scrutinised by an independent investigator from within police.Independence is ensured by the investigator signing a declaration that they have no conflict of interest."The Police Professional Conduct group has a significant role in maintaining high levels of trust and confidence by ensuring complaints against police are dealt with professionally, and quickly."It is our purpose to demonstrate transparency at every stage of the complaint process." In 2017 police investigated 2161 external complaints down from 2223 in 2016. In 2015 there were 2291 complaints investigated, 2184 in 2015 and 1903 in 2013. The most common complaint was for service failure followed by unprofessional behaviour, breach of official conduct, use of force and arrest/custodial issues. For more information on complaint about police and officers click here.
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