Two a penny

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Finger cut off over $170 and Fairmont car

Thursday, 26 February 2009

Two men have admitted cutting part of a flatmate's finger off over a dispute about $170 and a 1976 Ford Fairmont.
Roger Johnson, 46, and Shayne Fryer, 37, both unemployed of Waipukurau, appeared in Napier District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to maiming with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Lee Walter. The court was told Johnson and Fryer had been drinking large quantities of alcohol when they woke Mr Walter at 1.
Mr Walter, 49, had been staying at the men's house for a few days. They bailed him up in a corner of the living room while Fryer threatened him with a 30-centimetre-long butcher's knife.30am on October 2 last year.
While Fryer discussed where he was going to cut Mr Walter, Johnson told him to cut his little finger off and grabbed the knife from Fryer.
Mr Walter said he was going to give Fryer his Ford Fairmont car and $170 cash for letting him stay at his house, but he had been unable to raise the cash. . He demanded Mr Walter hold out the little finger on his left hand.
"I thought they were joking at first but I started getting worried when they started talking about which part of me they were going to cut off.
Fryer forced Mr Walter's hand on to a mantelpiece and Johnson severed the finger at the knuckle closest to the fingertip.
He walked from the room, covered his bleeding finger with a towel and asked Johnson for his finger back. He cut my finger off, said, `The car's mine, pay the rent tomorrow or else,"' Mr Walter said. Mr Walter waited in the house a short while then sneaked out and sought help at a close toby service station. Johnson laughed, then handed it to him.
"It's a lot shorter than it was before. An ambulance took him to hospital but attempts to reattach the finger were unsuccessful. I get pain in it now and again. I can't play guitar any more. The car, which remains in Mr Walter's possession, was worth less than $500, he said. It's just not the same," Mr Walter said. Fryer, a sentenced prisoner, will appear on the same day.
Johnson was remanded in custody for sentencing in May.

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Antonie Dixon was master manipulator

‘Unfettered’ access to drugs and sex with ‘psychologist’ in prison

– Sunday, 08 February 2009

AntonieDixon lived the high life even behind bars – he had "unfettered" access to sex, drugs and other illegal contraband.
And, according to one of the killer's former cellmates, he and Dixon once partied on the drug P for six days straight while they were locked up together at Auckland Central Remand Prison.
has also obtained an until-now-secret police report which details Dixon's prison sex romps with a woman who duped authorities by posing as a registered psychologist.
The close personal friend claimed he and the samurai swordsman consumed more than 15 grams of the class A drug during the binge, smuggled into the prison last November.
Defence lawyers argued Dixon was insane caused by years of horrific abuse as a child.
Dixon was convicted of murder and causing grievous bodily harm in 2005 after he went on a P-fuelled rampage, slashing Simonne Butler and Renee Gunbie with a samurai sword before gunning down James Te Aute.
But he was again found guilty after a seven-week retrial at Auckland High Court last year.
Dixon was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years until his lawyers successfully appealed the decision.
The confidential 2004 police report revealed Corrections allowed Dixon and the "psychologist" to have one-on-one sessions and how prison authorities were not aware of the locked-up lovefest until guards began hearing "strange noises" coming from the room the pair were using during the 2003 incident. On Thursday Dixon died of suspected suicide on the day he was due to be re-sentenced.
"Staff believed that the relationship between the two is more than strictly professional.
"When the (guards) looked they saw Dixon standing behind and over (the fake psychologist)," the detective who prepared the report wrote.
Police concluded Corrections were oblivious to Dixon's ability to manipulate contraband regulations."
The police probe found the phoney psychologist was in fact a long-time friend of Dixon's and was not only servicing his sexual desires but smuggling drugs and cellphones into his jail.
"(Corrections) were obviously not aware how easy it has been for Dixon to have things brought in or taken out of prison on his behalf although (Corrections) did observe that Dixon could easily obtain items from prisoners in transport who walk past his cell and slip things into him.
The situation was branded a "debacle" and police came to the view Dixon had "unfettered access to cellphones, meth and any visitors he wanted".
Wayne said while Dixon was locked up he devoted a lot of energy to a number of females who would regularly write to and visit him."
Dixon's former cellmate, who has agreed to refer to only as Wayne, said his mate found it easy to give Corrections the run-around.
"They were infatuated by him and that bad-boy image.
He said the crime groupies were so captivated by Dixon's infamy, one had his initials tattooed on her neck.
He said the sexual abuse Dixon suffered as a child no doubt fuelled the almost 170 convictions he amassed before his death."
Wayne said his mate was a victim as much as he was a criminal."
Wayne claims Dixon had issues long before he started puffing P.
"He was a victim of his upbringing and environment and I have no doubt that it was the physical and sexual abuse rather than the P that triggered his paranoia.
It was an opinion shared by a senior corrections officer, who according to the 2004 police report believed Dixon was "not psychotic, just manipulative".
It was an opinion shared by a senior corrections officer, who according to the 2004 police report believed Dixon was "not psychotic, just manipulative".
Wayne said suicide wasn't Dixon's style and he believed if Dixon wanted to end it all, he'd go out "all guns blazing". .
"He certainly wouldn't have been fazed by the fact he was about to be sentenced.
"He had absolutely no remorse for his crimes. They did not bother him."
Wayne said Dixon thrived on his public notoriety and would have been excited at the prospect of a huge media contingent at his High Court sentencing this week.
"He was an attention-seeker. He loved the infamy."
Wayne claimed Corrections officials had washed their hands of Dixon and put him in the "too-hard basket".
Dixon would play mind games with fellow inmates often concocting stories to embarrass them or put them at risk of harm.
The former cellmate said it was a way for Dixon to ease the boredom and occupy his mind.
"(Corrections) didn't want him to go to classes because they would have to double up on the number of guards because of the security risk. They offered him nothing at all."
But despite that, Dixon knew his life hadn't turned out how it could.
Wayne said during his final conversation with his best mate about a week-and-a-half ago, the murderer specifically requested his help with his 15-year-old son to ensure he didn't follow in his father's footsteps.
"That was important to him."
A Corrections spokeswoman last night said, because the department had launched an inquiry into Dixon's death, no comment on the new allegations would be made.

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Economic crisis keeps Kiwis close to home

By KATHERINE NEWTON Thursday, 05 February 2009

Kiwis who might once have headed overseas in search of work or play are hunkering down to weather the economic storm at home instead.
Overseas visitors have no such qualms yet, with 322,200 short-term visitors arriving last December a record for any month.
The number of Kiwis and long-term visitors who left for any period of time in that month dropped to 165,700 from 176,100 in December 2007, a decrease of 5.
That included a 16 per cent fall in the number of New Zealanders heading to Britain permanently or long term.9 per cent. Overall, the number of New Zealanders heading overseas last year was steady compared with 2007, dropping only 0.
There were fewer trips to all top 10 destinations for New Zealand residents, including Fiji, down 18 per cent, the United States, down 13 per cent, and Britain, down 8 per cent.3 per cent.
"One of the economies that's been hardest hit is the UK and you're now getting mass job layoffs in that sector," he said.
However, ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said December's fall in departures was likely to continue this year as moving overseas, especially to Britain and the United States, became less attractive. . "People are now becoming more aware that their prospects of going over to the UK and getting a job are diminishing.
Departures to Australia steadily rose last year, but now appeared to be levelling off, it said.5 per cent from December 2007. "The Australian labour market has recently become more difficult and . "The Australian labour market has recently become more difficult and . net outflows across the Tasman may start to ease..
Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said that month had been unexpectedly strong, but he expected the number of visitors to start to fall in the next few months."
Despite record visitor numbers to New Zealand in December, tourism officials are bracing themselves for a tough year."
Tourism New Zealand was predicting long-haul visitor numbers to fall by up to 15 per cent between January and March, he said, but an expected small rise in Australian numbers could help to offset that.
"We're going to get through the summer a little bit better than some people imagined [but] there will be a reduction over the next year.

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It’s what neighbours do, says fire rescuer

– Wellington Tuesday, 06 January 2009

/The
BRAVE BID: Ben Tionisio, 18, cut his fist smashing a glass pane to save his neighbours’ dog from the burning house.

A youth smashed a door window with his fist to break into a burning home to save his neighbours' dog.
"It's just what neighbours do, eh," said Ben Tionisio, 18, nursing a bleeding hand suffered when he smashed the window to help retrieve the dog about 1.
And another neighbour braved the smoke, exploding upstairs windows and rising heat to check the Palmerston North family were not home and to search for the dog.
The Lyndhurst St house was a writeoff but the animals two cats and a dog survived.15pm yesterday.
Mr Tionisio, a labourer, was at home in front of the television enjoying his holidays when he heard his mother yell that the house across the road was on fire. The owners had insurance. "I heard the dog barking and just smashed the window, I punched it.
"There was smoke coming out the window and some chicks were yelling there was a dog inside," he said.
The neighbours retreated once they realised no one was home and when they could not see or hear the animals." Max, the two-year-old dog, got spooked and darted away.
Both Mr Tionisio and the second neighbour, Phil, who ran upstairs to check if anyone was trapped, shrugged at the danger of going to save neighbours whose names they did not even know. ..
"You do it for your neighbours . It's just what neighbours do.."
Glenn Richards, who lived at the house with his partner and parents, was counting the cost yesterday, after losing all his possessions. Just glad no one was hurt, and the dog is okay."
Fire chief Roger Calder said 16 firefighters took 30 minutes to control the fire, which began in the second storey and was not suspicious.
He had received a phone call saying; "Come home, your house is on fire.

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Experts at a loss to explain Airbus tragedy

By ANTHONY HUBBARD, ADRIENNE BOURGEON – Sunday, 30 November 2008

The rescue efforts continue to be hampered by poor visibility stirred up by heavy seas.

Eefforts toexplain the mystery crash of the Air New Zealand Airbus in France may take months as experts rule out the most likely causes for its abrupt plunge into the Mediterranean Sea.
No hope is now held that any of the men survived the impact of Friday's crash.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe is due in Perpignan today with a support crew and relatives of one of the five New Zealanders killed, vowing to "bring our team home". Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook, 58, was the fifth New Zealander to die. The Air NZ staff who died were captain Brian Horrell, 52, and engineers Michael Gyles, 49, Murray White, 37, and Noel Marsh, 35.
Bad weather yesterday hampered the recovery and only two bodies, still unidentified, have so far been recovered. Two German pilots also lost their lives. Gendarme Pierre Renault said once they were found they could be handed over to families "so they can start mourning".
The head of the rescue operation in France said the most important job was finding the remaining five bodies.
"Normally the sea should be clear blue, and authorities should be able to see the plane in the sand on the seabed, but today this is not possible.
The rescue efforts, involving a rotating team of divers, helped by a robot aboard an anti-mining navy vessel, continued to be hampered by poor visibility stirred up by heavy seas. Debris that has already been recovered includes a shoe, lifejackets and fuselage insulation."
Signals from the two flight recorders have been detected and a team of 10 specialist divers were due to go back into the water at 8pm last night to retrieve them.
Air NZ group general manager Ed Sims said 75 French personnel were involved in the recovery efforts. Part of one wing was found floating but has not yet been recovered.
A message from the pilots to the air control tower at Perpignan airport just minutes before the crash gave no hint of any danger. He said confirmation that the victims were presumed dead was "difficult and devastating news for the families of all concerned".
The plane appeared to nosedive into the sea, breaking up into fragments now strewn over a wide area, dispersed by sea currents for dozens of kilometres along the French coast.
There was no mayday and the aircraft was already in the "corridor" lined up to land at the airport before it crashed four nautical miles off the coast..
"Nobody saw exactly what happened. it is like a puzzle that we have to piece together," said Renault, who predicted the technical investigation would take months..
Fernand Ejnes, director of EAS Industries, said the work was mainly decor and paintwork.
Fernand Ejnes, director of EAS Industries, said the work was mainly decor and paintwork. Everything was simply put in order to enable it to receive New Zealand licensing.
Leading New Zealand aviation writer Rob Neil agreed the crash remained "extremely mysterious". The Pacific Wings magazine editor said news reports did not point to any obvious cause.
Neil told the Sunday Star-Times that bird-strike was unlikely to be the cause, and in any case the crew would have time for a mayday call.
Horrell, who was sitting in the jump seat behind the two German pilots, was an "incredibly meticulous pilot, absolutely professional in everything he did", Neil said.
He and the Air NZ engineers would have checked the maintenance done on the plane and if they were not happy with it, they would not have flown in the aircraft.
Horrell, although he was not flying the plane, was in effect one of the flight crew and would have immediately communicated with the others had he had noticed anything amiss.
The Airbus 320 was one of the two workhorses of the world's airlines. Even Boeing, maker of the other most popular narrow-bodied airliner, the Boeing 737, conceded that it was a safe aeroplane.
The plane was relatively new and the maintenance firm, EAS Industries, was a reputable company.
The Airbus was reportedly about 300m above the sea and it was very lightly loaded. It would therefore have "plenty of performance" and was extremely unlikely to suddenly plummet. That was likely only in a violent thunderstorm or during what was known as a microburst, a highly concentrated and localised downward wind associated with thunderstorms. News reports did not suggest such weather.
THE MISSING KIWI CREW
BRIAN HORRELL, 52, Auckland Air New Zealand captain
Southland-born Horrell grew up on the family farm at Te Tua close to Tuatapere in Southland. His love of flying began with hang-gliders, representing New Zealand at the world championships in France.
After working as a pilot for Water Wings in Te Anau, he joined Air New Zealand in Christchurch his 22-year career taking him from Friendships to Boeings, from the South Island to Auckland, where he became a training captain for Airbus.
Family described Horrell as a dedicated family man to his wife Shelley and their teenage children Olivia, 19, and Logan, 17. His parents, Herbert and Moira, who are both in their 80s and live in Tuatapere, are said to be "shattered". Air New Zealand sent support staff to be with them, and also his wife and children, in Auckland.

NOEL MARSH, 35, Christchurch Air New Zealand engineer
A heavily-pregnant Tracy Marsh kissed her husband goodbye in France last week and flew home to Christchurch with their two young children.
Noel Marsh, 35, died in the crash just two weeks before he was due to come home for the birth of his third child and on the day his five-year-old son should have been starring with the rest of his classmates in his school's end-of-year production. But instead of flitting around the stage as a sandfly, Leon Marsh was at home with his mum in Rolleston, south of Christchurch, struggling to understand why he wasn't going to see his dad again.
Marsh, an engineer with Air New Zealand for the past six years, was in France for the handover of the A320 from German XL Airways but had organised for his wife and children to fly over for the family holiday of a lifetime. Family said Marsh, who had been with Air New Zealand for six years, relished the opportunity to travel to Europe to be involved in the acceptance process for the A320. They were extremely proud of the man who they said loved his job.

MICHAEL GYLES, 49, Christchurch Air New Zealand engineer
The father of two teenage boys, Gyles has been described as a dedicated family man. He had 30 years' service with Air New Zealand, starting as an apprentice and working his way up. A quiet man with exceptional skills, Gyles was reported as being well-liked by colleagues. Some of his family were yesterday on their way to France while the remainder were gathering in Christchurch to mourn a man they say loved his family and his job.

MURRAY WHITE 37, Auckland Air New Zealand engineer
White lived in Pakuranga, Auckland, and had been with Air New Zealand for the past 19 years.
He was acting as an observer on the flight and was said to be a highly skilled engineer.

JEREMY COOK, 58, Wellington Civil Aviation Authority inspector
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) staff have been in shock over the death of Cook but are continuing to provide support to his wife Sally and children.
CAA staff said Cook was a popular and respected engineer. Acting director Graeme Harris said Cook was an aviation enthusiast with a long career dedicated to enhancing aviation safety standards.
He joined the CAA as airworthiness inspector in April, 2005. He was a licensed maintenance engineer with an extensive background in aircraft maintenance.
Cook had worked for Air Niugini in Papua New Guinea, Ansett New Zealand and the Christchurch Engine Centre. In his role at CAA he processed the entry of aircraft into the New Zealand civil aviation system, assessing applications for the issue or change to aircraft airworthiness certificates. Harris said Cook was a valued member of the CAA's Aircraft Certification Unit and was widely respected in his field.
It is understood members of the Cook family flew to Europe last night.

Timeline to disaster 2am Friday (NZ time): Plane handed back by EAS Industries, which had carried out light technical work on the aircraft. 2.43am: Take off at Perpignan Airport. Flight plan is filed and plane flies south-west towards the coast. 3.46am: Last call by crew to air traffic control. Authorities describe a banal exchange, there is no sign of alarm. 4.45am: The crash. Onlookers say it appeared the aircraft was trying to approach the airport when it made an unexpected turn followed by a steep climb. Then it nosedived into the sea. They say it appeared the pilot did everything possible to avoid crashing into the coastal town of Le Canet en Rousillon, the seaside town 10km east of Perpignan.

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Bill to quit mortgage appealed

By CHARLIE GATES – Tuesday, 28 October 2008

A Christchurch family is appealing against a $15,000 bank charge for ending a five-year fixed-rate mortgage after eight months.
David and Catherine Johnson and their four children moved into a Cashmere house in February on a $270,000 mortgage fixed at 8. They have sold the house to move to Australia, but ending the mortgage early means they face a $15,000 charge.99 per cent interest for five years.
He said there should be a charge for ending the mortgage early, but $15,000 was unreasonable.
David Johnson has appealed to the Office of the Banking Ombudsman and complained to Westpac's Christchurch staff. The main concern is the severity of the repayment.
"We knew there was a penalty involved in a fixed rate.
He also said the potential charges should be set out more clearly by banks. It is just a ridiculous figure," he said. There is a complex formula that all banks use and you just can't follow it.
"It is just not transparent enough."
A Westpac spokesman said bank charges for the early termination of fixed-rate mortgages were higher as a result of the global financial meltdown and credit crunch. We want the bank to be reasonable and negotiate with us.
"It is obviously a tricky time .
"When we set the mortgage we secure the funding in the wholesale market and so the amount is based on the cost of us returning the money at current rates on the wholesale market," he said… This is obviously an example of where it has not been in their favour to break it. It is not something we would enjoy imposing, but it is the nature of the fixed-term agreement that there are costs.
The Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate by 100 basis points on Thursday, from 7. .5 to 6.