Two a penny

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A businessman has pleaded guilty to using his cellphone to take hundreds of images with views up women’s skirts.

Judge Geoff Rea, in Hastings District Court yesterday, said the 48-year-old, from Hastings, had filmed “dozens, if not hundreds” of women. The man, a father-of-three, pleaded guilty to two charges of making the intimate recordings of unsuspecting victims.
The man, in court with his wife, was caught after using his cellphone to take a photo of a woman in The Warehouse in Hastings on February 13. He has been granted interim name suppression. The court was told the man bent over behind her, held his phone under her mini skirt and took a photo. The woman was bending over to look at cushions. .
An analysis of the man’s computer hard-drive, seized from his home, revealed he had taken hundreds of video and still images up women’s skirts. He was chased by an off-duty police officer who noticed him frantically pushing buttons on the cellphone.
He had only one previous conviction, 25 years ago. His lawyer, Bill Calver, told the court his client had a fetish for women’s underwear. Police opposed name suppression.
Mr Calver said the man was depressed and he sought name suppression on the strength of a psychiatrist’s report that said publication of his name may heighten his suicide risk.
Judge Rea said: “The overwhelming public interest and concern in something like this would normally mean your name would be published almost as of right.
Judge Rea said: “The overwhelming public interest and concern in something like this would normally mean your name would be published almost as of right.

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The man was sentenced to 400 hours’ community work

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New Zealand law allows significant human rights failings and breaches of international treaties, a report by civil rights lawyers to the United Nations says.

The shadow report written by former Council for Civil Liberties chairman Tony Ellis and a team of lawyers was submitted to the United Nations last week.

The report called for:

The elimination of extended supervision orders (ESO);

The Government to repeal the preventive detention laws;

The Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act 2005 to be repealed.

It said New Zealand could do better in many areas of human rights law and that there were several deficiencies in respect of New Zealand’s international human rights obligations.

Two weeks ago, the Government sparked by possible lawsuits from high-risk sex offenders on ESOs rushed through a law change to patch a loophole in parole laws.

The report said ESOs, which monitor and restrict the movements of sex offenders, were inconsistent with the Bill of Rights due to issues of double jeopardy and unreasonable search and seizure.

“These prisoners have already served their prison sentence, they have done their time and in some cases are then retrospectively sentenced again,” Ellis said.

The law was passed despite a report from the attorney-general that warned the law change could not be justified under the Bill of Rights.

It also condemned the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act, which was passed to restrict prisoners gaining compensation for ill-treatment while behind bars unless the money was used as redress for victims.

The report also took issue with the sentence of preventive detention, saying it amounted to arbitrary detention.

“This legislation is a disgrace in any democratic society and plainly a breach of the covenant and numerous other international instruments.

The law denied people who had been ill-treated a remedy, adequate or otherwise, the report said.

The report also called for:

The Parole Board to be independent and impartial;

An independent prisons’ inspectorate be set up;

The Bill of Rights to be given supreme law status, and section 4 of the act (which allows the Government to pass laws contrary to the Bill of Rights) to be repealed;

Improving the care of mentally ill prisoners and addressing the over-representation of Maori in prisons.”

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Ellis said while treating prisoners decently may not be popular, to do so was the mark of a civilised society.

The most recent report, delivered in December 2007, is due for consideration by the UN in Geneva in July.

New Zealand is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and as such supplies the United Nations Human Rights Committee with a periodic report on the country’s human rights status.

Shadow reports are commonly filed by civil rights organisations from other countries, but it has been rarely done by New Zealand groups.

It reports considerable advances in human rights, including key judgments by the Supreme Court, the passing of the Civil Unions act, the creation of an action plan for human rights and the creation of the Families Commission.

Justice Minister Simon Power said New Zealand was presenting its report under the UN’s convention against torture this month, and then the ICCPR report in July.

Ellis said that was partly due to funding his report was prepared pro bono and partly due to ignorance that such reports could be written.

Power noted the Human Rights Commission’s 2004 review found New Zealand met international human rights standards in many respects and often surpassed them.

Both included many positive developments in the protection of human rights in New Zealand, he said, including the establishment of the Supreme Court, the repeal of seditious offences, and reviews of laws governing policing and corrections.

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A Timaru teenager held up a dairy to raise the money he needed to get out of the Mongrel Mob.

Rhys Nasologa Senelale, 17, disguised himself and held up the elderly owner of Timaru’s Hill Top Dairy in July last year.

The two offences had occurred only months apart.

Senelale was appearing for sentence on a charge of aggravated robbery and a charge of injuring with intent when he appeared before Judge Brian Callaghan in the Timaru District Court yesterday.

Counsel Teresa Lawrence said Senelale had committed the robbery as he was in debt to the gang.

Senelale was 16 when he took a large knife into the dairy shortly after dark one winter’s night, holding up the owner, and taking $300 cash. He has since left.

He was attempting to get out of the Mongrel Mob and needed the cash to pay the gang so he could leave. Instead, he needed a structured, tailored sentence which would help Senelale and the community.

Miss Lawrence told the court prison was not a good option for the youth as he would mix with those he should be avoiding. .

Senelale was attending the Opihi Services Academy and the academy’s director considered he had real leadership potential, she told the court.

The injuring charge arose out of an incident in Temuka last October in which Senelale had punched the ex-boyfriend of an associate, breaking the youth’s jaw.

Miss Lawrence agreed it would have been easier for the court to consider a community-based sentence if there had been only one charge.

The victim spent three nights in hospital, had to have his jaw wired, and was forced to feed through a straw for a month.

When the victim fell to the ground Senelale kicked him about the body a couple of times.

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The assault had involved serious violence, with the king-hit punch leaving the youth with a broken jaw and lying on the ground unconscious.

Craig O’Connor, for the Crown, told the court the planning and premeditation involved in the burglary were aggravating factors, as was the fact Senelale had set up a possible alibi of having rugby practice at a close toby park.

He halved that after taking into account the offender’s age and early guilty pleas.

Judge Callaghan considered the starting point for the offending was a four-year prison term for the aggravated robbery and 2 1/2 years for the assault. There was the possibility he could become a successful member of society.

There had been quite a turnaround in Senelale’s approach to life, and the judge noted he did not appear to be an habitual offender. He said home detention was not an easy sentence to comply with.

The judge was willing to reduce the sentence further to enable Senelale to be sentenced to home detention.

He was ordered to pay $300 reparation to the dairy owner and $1000 reparation for emotional harm to the assault victim.

He was ordered to pay $300 reparation to the dairy owner and $1000 reparation for emotional harm to the assault victim.

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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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Transmission Gully back in the slow lane

Wednesday, 14 January 2009

Transmission Gullyis again in doubt, with Transport Minister Steven Joyce unconvinced the billion-dollar highway is the way to go.
Mr Joyce, given the powerful transport portfolio after National's election victory, told The he remained on the fence regarding the long-simmering debate over the northern transport corridor.
He said he had no preference between the $1.
"Is Transmission Gully the right road rather than the coastal route? I've still got a mixed view on that," said Mr Joyce, who returned to Wellington this week for tomorrow's Government economic meeting. . I don't have a personal preference. "In terms of the actual Transmission Gully solution, I haven't formed a view. It's a big sum of money.
The region's mayors will meet this year to consider a regional fuel tax of up to 5 cents a litre to fund the shortfall."
The previous government pledged $405 million toward the project, leaving local governments till late this year to find the $600 million shortfall.
Labour's former transport minister Annette King gave the green light last June for planners to prepare resource consents for the Gully project, effectively ending debate on which route would be developed. Tolls are also an option but the funding gap remains a massive hurdle.
"`It's not to say we're not going to do it.
Mr Joyce said central government funding remained in place and resource consent work would continue, but whether Transmission Gully would be built was up in the air. I think the whole Wellington north roading corridor definitely needs substantial work and by that I mean right up to Levin. I think the whole Wellington north roading corridor definitely needs substantial work and by that I mean right up to Levin. Finance Minister Bill English signalled $5."
There have been signs the Gully has slipped down the Government's priority list.
However, sources said late last year that that money was likely to be spread around the regions and the Gully was likely to be "well down".8 billion in extra capital spending over five years in this year's Budget.
She met Mr Joyce before Christmas and said his stance was "wise" but did not see it as a step back from the previous government.
Greater Wellington regional council chairwoman Fran Wilde remains convinced the Gully road should be built. It's big money. "I think he's being cautious.
"We now have a lot of certainty about Transmission Gully, we don't have certainty about the coastal route, and the coastal route environmentally is disastrous. My feeling is he understands the need to do something, he just needs to get his head around what the options and what the ramifications are. "This is a national road, we should be expecting there will be a greater national contribution. "This is a national road, we should be expecting there will be a greater national contribution. This isn't something that's built out of national rates. I still believe the Gully is the way to go. It's still the best option long term."
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said she would "watch with interest" as the Government formed its roading priorities.
"Without support from government, Transmission Gully is unaffordable.
"In respect to our own programme of infrastructure projects in Wellington, there are big gaps in terms of what we can fund and what we've been offered."
But Ms Prendergast said the coastal route should not be ignored. "We can't continue to allow the coastal route to not have its safety issues addressed."

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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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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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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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Maori men ‘need to take responsibility’ for violence

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

An unacceptable level of domestic violence among Maori communities has to end, a senior Maori leader says.
Anglican Minister Hone Kaa told the national White Ribbon Day men's breakfast in Wellington yesterday that Maori aged 15 to 24 were seven times more likely to need hospital treatment as a result of assault than non-Maori.
"Men need to take responsibility for the violence perpetrated against women and children," said Dr Kaa, who chairs a charitable trust that advocates for Maori children.
White Ribbon Day marks a zero-tolerance stand on domestic violence. His Te Kahui Mana Ririki trust intended to run "anti-smacking" workshops with iwi and hapu throughout the country to teach parents other ways of disciplining their children.
Events were held throughout New Zealand, with more than 500,000 white ribbons handed out for wearers to show they did not condone domestic violence. The day was started by a men's movement in Canada in 1991 and has been officially adopted by the United Nations as its International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. . It's also about the man who after an argument with his wife, takes the rifle out and cleans it on the kitchen table.
"It's not only about the kicks and the slaps.

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Police commissioner Howard Broad said police had pledged to cooperate more closely with Australian police in developing strategies and programmes aimed at reducing family violence