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Unconscious skydiver lands on his face
By ALICE COWDREY Monday, 16 February 2009
A Swedish man who became unconscious during a skydive in Motueka is in a serious but stable condition at Hutt Hospital with serious facial injuries.
The 26-year-old was attempting his first solo skydive on Sunday morning as part of his training with Skydive Abel Tasman in Motueka.
St John Ambulance team manager Jon Leach said the man became unconscious during the descent and landed on his face.
Skydive Abel Tasman owner and chief safety officer Stuart Bean said the man's free-fall went well and, after opening his parachute, he had initially responded to radio communication which was part of his training. .
He was found conscious on the side of a hill in some bush south of the Motueka Airport. Subsequent contact was unsuccessful and the man landed about one kilometre from where he was supposed to.
Mr Bean said the business had investigated the incident on Sunday, going over the man's paperwork, talking through what happened and discussing if there was anything they could have done differently. Mr Bean, who has been an instructor since 1985, said he had never seen anything like it.
He said the man was young and fit and healthy and as far as he could see, there was no reason to have had any concerns for his safety.
Mr Leach said it was not common for St John to attend skydiving accidents as safety was always well controlled in the industry.
He said the incident would be reported to the New Zealand Parachute Industry Association."
. "You get the odd smashed ankle, so this was quite out of the ordinary
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Fraudster’s Star Wars Lego spree
The Saturday, 07 February 2009
A student who fraudulently used credit cards to buy collectible Star Wars Lego at astronomical prices found the force of police with him.
Yiu Fung Cheng, 24, has been sentenced in Wellington District Court after earlier admitting five charges of deception and using a computer for dishonest purposes at his parents' home in Churton Park last year.
After police searched Cheng's home in November, further items were found, which the court was told could lead to more charges being laid. This is understood to cover the cost of other items identified by police during the search.
Cheng's parents were in court where a cheque for $11,540 in reparation was offered.
Police said Cheng admitted the offending and in explanation stated that he was feeling depressed.
Cheng used other people's credit card details between July and August to buy Lego items online, including limited edition Star Wars sets two Imperial Destroyers worth $965, two Death Stars at $1679 and a Ultimate Collectors Millennium Falcon for $1000 and a combine harvester.
Judge Bruce Davidson said that, having read Cheng's psychiatric report, there were "deep-seated psychiatric causes" for his offending. .
In addition to the $11,540 reparation, he was ordered to carry out 140 hours' community work
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Tributes flow for Manning
Saturday, 27 December 2008
The partner of murdered Christchurch prostitute Mellory Manning says he is "just hanging in there" a week after her death.
The man, who did not want to be named, said the murder of his partner of nine years had left him distraught, particularly as she was getting her life on track.
He said Manning was working in Manchester Street for the first time "in ages" on the night she was killed.
He had received support from Christian organisations and had been contacted by the Prostitutes Collective.
Other tributes have flowed in for the 27-year-old.
She was a kind and sweet person, he said.co.
One old friend wrote on press. She was dear to us .nz: "This is a shock to all who knew her, loved her, cared for her.. .
"As a child she liked the water and spent many a summer swimming in Southbridge at the local pool and river She was a beautiful-looking girl with soft curls that enveloped her sweet face. and was a sweet girl. She adored flowers and plants but most of all she adored her younger brother Robin and her sister Jasmine.
"She spoke softly mostly and had an attraction to all things spiritual.
"She got bored with life in Southbridge and moved on to the big smoke Christchurch. They were extremely close and a pleasure to all who met them."
Manning's partner said some media reports about her history, particularly that she had used a syringe in a robbery, were wrong.
"Christchurch hasn't been kind to her, it's as simple as that.
"The important thing is that they get caught," he said.
Manning was on the methadone programme and was overcoming her drug problem.
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A reduced police team worked over the holiday period, searching for Manning's killer
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Pumpkin’s father in scrap over legal fees
– Sunday, 14 December 2008
The fatherof the little girl dubbed Pumpkin who allegedly killed his wife then abandoned his three-year-old daughter at a Melbourne train station hopes to be bailed this week so he can get a job to pay for his defence.
Nai Yin Xue sparked a worldwide manhunt in September last year after he allegedly murdered his 27-year-old wife An An Liu, left her body in the boot of his car outside his Mt Roskill, Auckland, house, then flew to Melbourne where he dumped Qian Xun Xue before fleeing to Los Angeles.
The 54-year-old martial arts instructor who was captured in Atlanta in February has instructed his lawyer Chris Comeskey to make a bail application which is expected to be heard in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday.
Xue has been offered a job on an Onehunga building site.
Comeskey said he would argue that his client needed to be bailed so he could find work to pay for his defence as a "significant" legal aid payment Comesky's owed for defending Xue has been stalled.
"We will not be committing any more time to this as a result of the unsatisfactory set of circumstances," Comeskey said.
Comeskey said if he hadn't been paid when the bail hearing was finished he would stop working on the case, leaving Xue without legal representation, which Comesky said was a "breach" of the Bill of Rights.
"What sort of tin-pot country are we running here when we are happy to pay for a man to be flown back to New Zealand but we won't give him a lawyer?"
Comeskey said it was usual practice for legal aid applications to be determined within 14 days, but Xue's had been "dragging on" for nine months.
"Murder is the most serious charge one can face and we are saying that Mr Xue is not entitled to have a free lawyer.
"Someone at Legal Services [Agency] has obviously been asleep on the job, I am alarmed at this disgraceful behaviour.
But LSA spokeswoman Bronwyn Bannister said delays with Xue's legal aid application being approved had been caused by Comeskey not providing all of the required information."
Comeskey claimed if Xue was found guilty there would be grounds for appeal because there had been no money to hire private investigators to uncover information needed to ensure his client had a fair trial. Xue has signed an affidavit denying that.
It is understood the agency hasn't paid Comesky's fees because they believe Xue has money in an overseas bank account. .
The reports that Pumpkin is thriving in China, where she lives with her maternal grandmother, and starts school next year
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Teacher dies at karate grading
Tuesday, 09 December 2008
A Rangiora school teacher and long-time martial arts instructor collapsed and died during a karate grading at the weekend.
Rangiora Karate Club sensei Rob Stewart, 53, was in the Waikuku Community Hall on Sunday morning when he started having trouble breathing, senior black belt Graham Russell said.
CPR was performed on Stewart "within seconds" by several people, and resuscitation attempts continued until emergency services arrived, he said.
The grading involved more than 30 people, mostly children, from five Canterbury clubs.
Stewart was a fourth-dan black belt in the Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate style, who trained for more than 25 years in Hamilton, Rotorua, Oxford and Rangiora.
Police confirmed a man died at the scene and the matter had been referred to the coroner.
"He's dedicated his life over the last 30 years or so to karate," Russell said. .
Rangiora Borough School principal Alan Sutton said Stewart was a highly regarded teacher and colleague. Stewart's wife, Diana, and their four children were still coming to grips with the death, he said.
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Drunken mayhem in Christchurch ‘shocking’
JO MCKENZIE-MCLEAN – Monday, 01 December 2008
Christchurch's inner city at the weekend was "absolute mayhem" with drunk people, particularly women, "at each other's throats", police say. . I don't know how many arrests there were.
"It was absolute mayhem. There were just so many confrontations, scuffles and violence going on; people getting bashed and robbed. We just didn't have time to make arrests; we were just pushing people apart. It was just incredible. It was just shocking, you know, with that 24-hour drinking. You couldn't afford to be off the street for an hour because it was just mayhem out there.
"You could not arrest someone, which takes (a police officer) off the street for an hour to process them.
"I could not get over the number of drunk women who were at each other's throats."
Some women had shown their nasty, drunken side, Johnston said.
"There is nothing wrong with alcohol, but I don't know why people stay out till after 3am and continue to drink and get written off and turn into nasty violent drunks. A lot of guys were trying to keep them parted and that would escalate and, from there, you would get a massive brawl," Johnston said.
Between 10pm and 3am there were 31 arrests."
The chaos started unusually early – about 11pm.
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A large number of people were summonsed to appear in court for breaching the liquor ban
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Police still hunting taxi driver’s attacker
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Police are still hunting for a knife wielding man who stabbed a taxi driver in Auckland on Friday night.
Alexander Ershov, 23, who received multiple wounds, remained in Auckland Hospital today in a serious but stable condition.30pm on Friday driving him to Bertrand Road, Mt Wellington.
Mr Ershov picked up his passenger from Auckland's Viaduct area about 11.
The victim drove himself to a nearby service station where members of the public assisted him until the arrival of ambulance staff.
He was then stabbed a number of times before his attacker fled.
"The injuries are extremely serious and the victim is lucky to be alive.
Mr Ershov, a Russian, later underwent emergency surgery at Auckland Hospital.
Police spent much of yesterday searching the area in case the offender had thrown the knife away. He is not out of the woods yet," Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Cramer said yesterday.
The offender is described as a brown-skinned male, about 180cm tall, of solid to athletic build and wearing a grey or sandy coloured 'hoodie'. .
Anyone with information that might be of interest to the Police should contact the investigation team at the Glen Innes Police Station on 0508 OPGLADE.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen him nearby the Sebel Hotel getting into a dark green Lexus, or in the vicinity of Bertrand Rd, Mt Wellington last night.
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Visitor drought means holiday bargains for Kiwis
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Kiwi holidaymakers are likely to reap bargains this summer as the tourist industry turns to the domestic market to drum up business and cheaper baches are made available to rent.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossa said the global recession meant fewer international visitors to New Zealand and Kiwis were more likely to stay closer to home.
Cossa recommends people approach operators directly for discounts and special offers.
Cossa said summer beach destination bookings were holding up but word from the association's 2000 members, including accommodation, attraction and transport operators, suggested most people were delaying their decision on where to go.
Peter Blackwell, AA Tourism general manager, told the Sunday Star-Times he expected some "eye-opening behaviour" from operators this summer. "I'm convinced there will be some good deals this summer," he said."
Many would have to change their attitude towards Kiwi tourists who would become the key to their future. "I believe a lot have built their businesses based on foreign visitors. The top end of the market, such as beachside apartment owners, would be more likely to feel the pinch.
He said New Zealanders were holding out for deals but he urged those planning a camping or holiday park getaway to book now or risk missing out. But visitor numbers were expected to be on a par with other years. ."
Rental rates were down by about 10%.
"The Thames Coromandel District Council rates have gone up so much, more bach owners are renting their properties during the peak season.
"More people are wanting to sleep eight to 10. There was also a glut of baches that slept five or fewer.
Turner said he had 30 properties available for the summer holidays."
This was possibly because families, examining to spread the cost of a holiday, were joining forces. Days in the Bay spokeswoman Marilyn Jones said she had noticed more cases of house owners giving up their properties to rent out.
The trend in the Bay of Islands is the same."
Demand between Christmas and January 10 was still very high, but there were vacancies on either side of those dates, she said. "We do have more properties on the books than we did last year."
It was similar in the South Island's Golden Bay. Demand for bigger houses was also high: "We have two or three families wanting to holiday together. Bookings for the summer were on a par with other years but there had been fewer forward bookings, she said. Bookings for the summer were on a par with other years but there had been fewer forward bookings, she said.
"I think we will really suffer during February and March."
Most of this summer's holidaymakers were from the South Island, she said.
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NZ cardiac study hailed
– Saturday, 01 November 2008
A single gene could be the difference between a middle-aged man dying from a heart attack or surviving, ground-breaking Canterbury research has found. .
With more research, a test should be available to screen people who have had minor heart incidents to see if they have the defective gene.
The research, which has been published in this month's American Heart Journal, has been hailed by the New Zealand Heart Foundation as "cutting-edge and world-beating".
Lead researcher Barry Palmer said the findings would allow doctors to tailor treatment for patients most likely to die of a heart attack.
Researchers remain unsure what percentage of the population carries the defect, only one indicator of surviving a heart attack. This is particularly in middle-aged males who have acute coronary syndromes, or reduced flow of blood to the heart.
"It's been known for some time that a defective ACE2 gene is associated with high blood pressure, but our research has also clearly linked one variant of this gene to a greater likelihood of mortality after heart attack. They found, after adjusting for variables such as age, that male patients were almost twice as likely to die if they had one particular variant (defective) of the ACE2 gene."
The Otago University Christchurch scientists carried out the study over three years on 1075 people (males and females) recruited from Christchurch and Auckland hospitals.
In its normal form, the ACE2 gene produced an enzyme that controlled blood pressure by influencing hormone levels, Palmer said.
Men were more prone to the effects of the defective gene than women because males had one copy in each cell of the ACE2 gene, whereas females had two.
Palmer said if doctors could identify people at greatest risk, they could do more earlier in their treatment.
When the gene was defective, blood pressure increased.