Two a penny

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The grieving mother of police officer Derek Wootton believes her son’s killer got away with murder.

Andrew Popo, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, following a defence offer to resolve the case.

Mr Wootton’s mother, Cath, was not in court to hear the guilty plea, but reacted angrily to the deal reached by prosecutors and Popo’s lawyers.

Popo was driving a Honda Prelude that hit the 52-year-old Porirua police sergeant early on July 11, killing him instantly. I don’t care what anybody says, it was murder,” she said.

“What happened to Derek was murder.

“I will go for what is right, and in the circumstances, this is right,” Porirua Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said.

However, the lead investigator in the case said the result was “the appropriate outcome”.”

Mr Wootton was struck by the car while laying road spikes in Dimock St, Titahi Bay. “The correct decision has been made.

Popo also pleaded guilty to injuring a man and unlawfully taking his car in Tawa, and driving while disqualified.

The Crown alleged that the car, taken by Popo from another man the night before, had been travelling at up to 150kmh during the police chase that led to the tragedy.

Crown prosecutor Grant Burston said Popo’s lawyer, Christopher Stevenson, had proposed a resolution of all but the kidnapping charge and that had been accepted. He still faces a charge of kidnapping a teenager.

Mr Wootton’s fiancee, Bronwyn Hewitt, was told of the plea deal on Monday.

Justice Alan MacKenzie agreed to the murder charge being reduced to manslaughter under a Crimes Act provision to allow changes “conducive to the ends of justice”. “Nothing is going to change. She said Popo’s manslaughter plea was “a bit of a shock” but was relieved she did not have to sit through a trial. In the back of my mind I knew it was going to be hard to prove [murder] and had been told that. It’s still not going to bring Derek back. . I just left it up to the experts.”

Mrs Wootton said the case had left her feeling cynical. “I was hoping that not only for the rest of the police, that do their job every day, I was hoping that we might have set a precedent. “We have had more than our share of sadness. “We have had more than our share of sadness.”

Popo will be back in court on April 20 for a sentencing date to be set.

FAMILY SAYS POPO DIDN”T MEAN TO KILL

The family of Andrew Popo say he never meant to kill anyone and they will support him in prison.

Popo’s uncle, Popo Su’a, said yesterday that his nephew should not have been charged with murder for killing Porirua police sergeant Derek Wootton.

Popo’s plea of guilty to manslaughter was “best for him”, Mr Su’a said. “It wasn’t something he did on purpose. It wasn’t murder.”

Mr Su’a, a minister of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, said: “What happened saddens me, not only for him but also for the police officer’s family. But I believe it wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t his fault, in a way.”

Several members of Popo’s family were in court yesterday, and Mr Su’a said the family would stand by him.

“We are all working to help him and support him during his life in prison. We will be working towards trying to get him some counselling, to make him see what he has done.

“I hope for a change of his life. He’s got a lot in front of him. We all love him.”

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Power price to jump again

– Wednesday, 04 February 2009

Meridian Energy customers are being hit with their second power price rise in six months, an increase the Government calls "ludicrous".
From March 15, prices will rise 7 per cent for customers in Canterbury and Dunedin.
The giant state-owned power generator and retailer is lifting prices around the country by an average 6.
There are about 114,000 Meridian customers in Canterbury and 210,000 nationwide.5 per cent. The announcement comes less than a week after Meridian stopped spilling vast amounts of excess water from overfull southern hydro lakes.
Meridian increased its prices by 6 per cent last September, with 3 per cent price rises in September 2006 and 2007.
Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw told the energy company had tried to keep the increase as low as possible.
The amount the power deficit cost the state-owned enterprise would be known after its financial report to Government shareholders next month. It was not an attempt to recover costs after last year's winter power deficit but reflected the long-term cost of introducing new generation, she said.
"I can tell you I'm not happy about it," he said.
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said last night he had "expressed disappointment" to Meridian when told of the impending price increase. It's ludicrous.
"Meridian needs to explain to customers why, at a time when the lakes are so full that they have to spill water over the top, and the cost of their `fuel' for generation is basically zero, they are having to put their prices up."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said. It is way, way more than the rate of inflation.
"I don't think it is justified. Is Meridian's lavish advertising programme necessary for a power company? Is the salary structure for their very top people appropriate? They should look at pruning spending before they expect consumers to pay more. The public would expect a publicly owned company, when people are losing jobs, to look at pruning their costs.
"We are aware that it's not going to be welcome news."
Shaw said Meridian customers should be notified of the rise from today."
Meridian was still the cheapest electricity retailer in Christchurch, she said. Anybody who can't pay their bill, or who is struggling to pay, they can contact us through our call centre and we can help. "We are worried about the impact of power price increases on older people on fixed incomes and also those with less income available from the decrease in interest rates from investments.
Christchurch Age Concern chief executive Stephen Phillips said 7 per cent was a "horrendous" increase.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.4 million and $1.41 million.
204 Meridian employees earn $100,000 or more a year and 28 earn above $200,000 annually.
RECENT PROFITS
2007-08: $128.6 million.
2006-07: $199.8 million.
2005-06: $856.8 million (includes gain from sale of Southern Hydro in Australia).
2004-05: $218.2 million.
2003-04: $132.9 million. .

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Bus tunnel walker run down by illegal car

Monday, 02 February 2009

KENT DUSTON
NO-GO ZONE: Police block off the Hataitai bus tunnel after a man walking through it was severely injured in a hit-and-run by a car that should never have been there.

Aman has been severely injured in a hit-and-run while walking throughWellington's Hataitai bus tunnel. Police do not know how long he was there before he was found.
The 42-year-old was found, severely injured, at 4am on Saturday by another motorist driving illegally through the tunnel.
Residents say the hit-and-run was a "completely avoidable tragedy that never needed to happen" and are angry that authorities are not doing more to stop drivers from using the bus tunnel. He required extensive surgery during the weekend.
Neither cars nor pedestrians are allowed to use the single-lane, badly lit tunnel, but residents say many people walk through after buses stop running.
Wellington City Council says barriers closing the tunnel after buses have stopped running have been discussed, and is meeting police, Greater Wellington regional council and bus companies this morning to discuss the problem.
The tunnel was also being abused by boy racers, many of whom turned their lights off and sped through the tunnel. "They know when the last bus is, so they think it's safe," Kent Duston, of Mt Victoria Residents Association, said. .
"This is not an 'accident', this is a completely avoidable tragedy that never needed to happen," he said.
Within 20 minutes of the tunnel reopening after Saturday's accident, Mr Duston photographed another car driving through illegally.

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Loving Lucy: her family’s fears and faith

By SUSAN PEPPERELL – Sunday, 04 January 2009

When LucyLaws' hair started growing back it came out curly and copper-coloured.
Before she was sick it was blonde and straight, but the curls have delighted her father Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws who was similarly adorned at one stage.
Lucy, however, just wants her curls to grow quicker. One day she was fine, the next she was running a fever so high she had to be flown from Wanganui to Auckland's Starship by Lifeflight, an emergency medical plane.
It is 10 months since four-year-old Lucy first got sick.
Her odds of survival were put at 10%; one doctor told her parents divine intervention was the only thing they could count on.
Then came the devastating diagnosis: not only did Lucy have leukemia, she had also contracted a rare fungal infection in her lungs and had acute pneumonia.
Lucy lived.
"I remember her sitting bolt upright in her hospital bed when she was so sick and saying `I'm not going to die Daddy'. Her dad says there were three things that saved her: prayer, the skill of Starship's clinicians and Lucy herself. It was a remarkable occurrence. Then she lay down again and went straight back to sleep.
He was born three months ago; the latest addition to a busy household which includes Laws, his partner Leonie Brookhammer, Ella, 16, Noah, 11, Lucy and Zoe, two."
Lucy turned four the week before Christmas her dad had promised her a trip to New York to see the musical The Little Mermaid but a baby named Theo put paid to that.
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
He and Lucy were the same age and even looked alike with the same big eyes and facial features, says Laws. Oliver, a child Lucy had become friendly with during her initial stay at Starship's oncology ward, died.
It was Oliver's death that brought Laws to tears for the first time since Lucy was first diagnosed. Lucy now talks of him as "being with the angels". That's the thing about these kiddies, there's nothing you can do about it.
"It's just so unfair. You are seeing the person you most love in the world in such pain and it makes you feel so helpless. You are simply there as an observer. "I don't expect to understand how it works but we are lucky."
Laws says the experience has enabled him to rediscover his faith. Her drug regime is substantial. Her drug regime is substantial. Every day she takes three chemotherapy drugs administered orally by syringe. The medication is so potent her parents must use rubber gloves and discard the syringe after use. One of the doses must be given about 1am.
Once a month she goes to Wanganui Hospital for an injection into a small port implanted under her skin at the bottom of her rib cage. The port has already been shifted once when it became infected. This is the most painful procedure for Lucy. On top of that, every six weeks she returns to Starship for a lumbar puncture, carried out under general anaesthetic.
This will continue for two years. It means her immunity is compromised so her temperature must be monitored constantly. Too high and she must go to hospital. That happened on Christmas Eve. And just last week younger sister Zoe was diagnosed with glandular fever so the watchful eye is now that bit more intense.
Ask Brookhammer how she feels about the future and she admits to simply being very tired.
"I was hoping to wake up on January 1 reinvigorated but to be honest I'm just tired.
"I'm hopeful things are going to be OK. Despite everything last year being so bad we did come through, Lucy did get better. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it could be."
She reserves a special thanks for the people who sent cards and gifts for Lucy, most of whom they have never met.
"I'll never forget it. ."

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Battered bling makes the cash tills ring

By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 21 December 2008

Jon Palani, manager of a second-hand store, with pawned jewellery

Pawn brokersare reporting an influx of customers turning their scrap jewellery into cash as the price of gold rises and the Kiwi dollar falls.
They say some have gone home hundreds of dollars richer after trading in their old, broken bits of gold jewellery to line their pockets during tough economic times.
Gary Boote, who owns the Pawn Shop in Christchurch, said that although the number of people seeking money for second-hand goods had not increased significantly in the past few months, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people buying good-quality items and cashing up "junk" jewellery. .
Last week he was paying up to $30 a gram for unwanted gold."
And while many people had dress jewellery of no value, a lot had pieces at home that were worth something. A lot of people are living day to day.
He said one elderly woman had recently brought in brooches, a chain and a necklace. "She walked out with $900. After testing the pieces, they found the necklace was studded with diamonds. As a result they were seeing more jewellery scrap coming in from second-hand dealers and pawn brokers."
David Morris, managing director of gold merchants Morris and Watson, said gold was worth about $1500 an ounce, up from about $850 in July last year.
But sellers should take their time researching traders before parting with precious pieces.
They refined the gold and turned it into chains or bullion, which more and more people preferred to having cash.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend. They have no cash flow any more.
"They know that if they sell it they will have to replace it but they are borrowing more with the cash solutions we offer people are really struggling. Customers are given one month to pay off the loan but if they default on a payment they are charged $25 plus a bank dishonour fee of about $30."
People borrowing cash from Cash Converters do not pay interest, but for a loan of $1000 an administration fee of around $300 is paid.
Tips for selling your un-wanted jewellery
* Deal with a reputable trader.
Budget advisers say anyone considering borrowing from money lenders should find out about hidden costs, and they suggest trying a bank first. Make sure the pieces are tested before deciding to sell. By law, they must photograph the pieces, verify the personal details of the seller and hold the pieces for at least 14 days.
* Types of gold: 9ct contains 37.
* Good traders have gold and diamond testing equipment on site and won't mind you being present when they check the quality of your jewellery.6 percentfine gold.6 percentfine gold.

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Battered bling makes the cash tills ring

By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 21 December 2008

Jon Palani, manager of a second-hand store, with pawned jewellery

Pawn brokersare reporting an influx of customers turning their scrap jewellery into cash as the price of gold rises and the Kiwi dollar falls.
They say some have gone home hundreds of dollars richer after trading in their old, broken bits of gold jewellery to line their pockets during tough economic times.
Gary Boote, who owns the Pawn Shop in Christchurch, said that although the number of people seeking money for second-hand goods had not increased significantly in the past few months, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people buying good-quality items and cashing up "junk" jewellery. .
Last week he was paying up to $30 a gram for unwanted gold."
And while many people had dress jewellery of no value, a lot had pieces at home that were worth something. A lot of people are living day to day.
He said one elderly woman had recently brought in brooches, a chain and a necklace. "She walked out with $900. After testing the pieces, they found the necklace was studded with diamonds. As a result they were seeing more jewellery scrap coming in from second-hand dealers and pawn brokers."
David Morris, managing director of gold merchants Morris and Watson, said gold was worth about $1500 an ounce, up from about $850 in July last year.
But sellers should take their time researching traders before parting with precious pieces.
They refined the gold and turned it into chains or bullion, which more and more people preferred to having cash.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend. They have no cash flow any more.
"They know that if they sell it they will have to replace it but they are borrowing more with the cash solutions we offer people are really struggling. Customers are given one month to pay off the loan but if they default on a payment they are charged $25 plus a bank dishonour fee of about $30."
People borrowing cash from Cash Converters do not pay interest, but for a loan of $1000 an administration fee of around $300 is paid.
Tips for selling your un-wanted jewellery
* Deal with a reputable trader.
Budget advisers say anyone considering borrowing from money lenders should find out about hidden costs, and they suggest trying a bank first. Make sure the pieces are tested before deciding to sell. By law, they must photograph the pieces, verify the personal details of the seller and hold the pieces for at least 14 days.
* Types of gold: 9ct contains 37.
* Good traders have gold and diamond testing equipment on site and won't mind you being present when they check the quality of your jewellery.6 percentfine gold.6 percentfine gold.

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Porno conviction follows four years on the run

– Saturday, 13 December 2008

A four-year flight from justice ended yesterday when a former teacher who left New Zealand before a court hearing on child pornography charges was convicted.
In 2002, Shane David Rahui was tracked by Department of Internal Affairs staff as he downloaded several objectionable photographs of young boys.
Child welfare groups were outraged at the move, with Child Abuse Prevention Services saying the former Dargaville High School teacher and martial arts instructor had made a mockery of the law.
Charges were laid, but, because Internal Affairs staff do not have the power of arrest, Rahui was not on bail and was legitimately able to apply for a passport in 2004 and leave the country.
Rahui is believed to have spent three years in Asia.
In his absence, Rahui was convicted on several charges of possessing objectionable material and fined.
Late last year, Rahui was detained at Los Angeles airport and denied entry to the United States.
During his absence, New Zealand officials notified Interpol of their interest in the man.
Rahui appeared in court in July, before a defended hearing on October 29. With no other port open to him, Rahui was forced to return to New Zealand where he was arrested. .
In the Christchurch District Court yesterday, Judge Jane McMeeken convicted Rahui on 22 charges of making an objectionable publication available to other people for gain.
Rahui did challenge the legality of two search warrants, which contained mistakes, executed by Internal Affairs staff during their investigation.
In her decision, the judge said Rahui knew the material he had downloaded relating to the sexual exploitation of boys was illicit. They did not outweigh the seriousness of the offences Rahui faced, which involved images of young boys. However, the judge ruled evidence obtained through the warrant was admissible as the mistakes were technical.
Rahui trained at the Christchurch College of Education, and had worked in Christchurch as a school holiday programme co-ordinator for the YMCA and an Out of School Care and Recreation supervisor.
"Having viewed the images in question there is no doubt that the classification made by the (Internal Affairs) inspector was correct," she said. "It's a crime that doesn't recognise international boundaries.
Department of Internal Affairs investigator Paul Duke said New Zealand relied on co-operation from law enforcement agencies around the world to stop the online exploitation of children, and played its own part in tracking down offenders."

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Plane considered one of the safest

By ROELAND van den BERGH Saturday, 29 November 2008

/The
TOUGH TIME TO BE BOSS: The Airbus A320 is considered one of the safest aircraft and is the favoured workhorse for airlines around the world. Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe says maintenance records for the the three-year-old Air New Zealand-owned plane that crashed yesterday show just 7000 hours on the clock over 2800 flights.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe says maintenance records for the the three-year-old Air New Zealand-owned plane that crashed yesterday show just 7000 hours on the clock over 2800 flights. .
The aircraft had been leased to German charter airline XL Aviation for the last two years and was being prepared for return to Air New Zealand when it crashed into the Mediterranean near the city of Perpignan in France during a routine test flight.
"At this stage we have no detail as to the likely cause of the accident," he told a news conference in Auckland.
A series of onboard computers constantly monitor the way the plane is being flown and will override the pilot's commands if they are unsafe.
The A320 became the first passenger jet to be equipped with a state-of-the-art "fly-by-wire" control system when it entered service in 1988.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said the A320 was "one of the most reliable and safest" aircraft in the world.
This safety feature makes it is almost impossible for the twin-engined aircraft to be flown beyond its limits, while at the same time, allowing the pilot to fly the aircraft to its maximum capability in an emergency.
"If you look at the figures, the broad Oceania area is rated as the safest place for large jet aircraft, and it has for many years. "We have a very good safety record for airline operations here in New Zealand.
During its 20-year history there have been eight fatal Airbus A320 crashes, killing 646 people, including an Air France demonstration flight in Habsheim, France in 1988 that killed the three crew."
A total of 1960 A320s were flying with 155 airlines around the world, typically on short- or medium-distance routes.
Airbus developed the single-aisle A320 in 1984 as a competitor to the hugely successful Boeing 737.
The worst accident was last year when all 186 passengers and crew and 12 people on the ground died when a Tam Airlines jet ran off the runway at Sao Paulo-Congonhas Airport in Brazil. A visibly shaken Mr Fyfe fronted up to three press conferences through the day, as well as talking to the victims' families and dealing with staff and officials in New Zealand and in France.
News of a downed aircraft is the call that every airline chief executive dreads.
But the rest of the airline must continue to run as normal, with no obvious effects on passengers.
A former senior Air New Zealand manager said that in an emergency a crisis centre is activated at the airline's Auckland headquarters, with key management assigned roles for which they have received specialist training.
Air New Zealand uses a fleet of 12 A320s mainly on its trans-Tasman and Pacific Island routes. "Everyone has got to stay absolutely focused on the job," the former manager said.
The crashed plane was number 2500 to roll off the Toulouse production line in France in July 2005. The aircraft seat 152 passengers including eight in business class.
The aircraft had just come out of maintenance and had taken off from Perpignan about 90 minutes earlier on its check flight.
The aircraft had just come out of maintenance and had taken off from Perpignan about 90 minutes earlier on its check flight.
Two XL Aviation pilots were at the controls. An Air New Zealand captain from Auckland, two airline engineers from Christchurch and an engineer from Auckland, and a Civil Aviation Authority inspector were on board as observers.
It had already been repainted in Air New Zealand livery, and was to fly to Frankfurt to pick up additional staff before heading home.
The most noticeable difference between the Airbus cockpit and a more-conventional layout is that the large control column in front of each pilot has been replaced with a side stick, similar to a computer joystick.
This gives an unobstructed view of the video screens that display information.
Airbus also replaced the two large throttle levers with smaller controls which operate almost like the automatic transmission on a car.

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Boy, 14, arrested over Kerikeri murder

and KERI MOLLOY – Friday, 07 November 2008

The Bay Chronicle
INSPECTOR CHRIS SCAHILL: ‘This has been a tragic case and it will have a major impact on all those involved.’

TOWN GRIEVES: Kerikeri is shocked by the death of Libby Templeman.
Police are still refusing to reveal how the 15-year-old died but say although the youth charged knew Liberty, he was not her boyfriend. .
Liberty's body was discovered off Cobham Road in Kerikeri on Sunday evening.
He has appeared in the Kaikohe Youth Court.
They are relieved a person has been apprehended and they are now focusing on the funeral tomorrow and time with their family.
Police say they have told Liberty's family of the arrest.
"I would like to thank the people of Kerikeri who assisted Police with their inquiries and I acknowledge the support they have given Police during what has been a difficult case to work on," he said.
More than 40 Police staff spent many hours working on the case and Far North Area Commander Inspector Chris Scahill said he was grateful to the more than 40 police staff who worked on the case."
Police revealed they had searched a house close to where Libby’s body was found on Sunday just 24 hours after she was reported missing when she did not turn up to meet a friend.
"This has been a tragic case and it will have a major impact on all those involved. He will reappear in the Kaikohe Youth Court on Monday November 17.
The 14-year-oldboy has been remanded in custody, under the care of Child, Youth and Family.
– with The Bay Chronicle

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German family of missing Kiwi go to Interpol

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

The German family of a Bay of Plenty man who disappeared in February have asked Interpol to look into police handling of the matter.
Sigfried Newman, 49, disappeared on February 25 after dropping his two sons at school.
At the time, police said it was believed Mr Newman was struggling to cope with the death of his wife late last year.
Tauranga police searched for three days but found no sign of him.
Mr Newman's sisters, Sabine Vorgerd and Brigitte Fulling, came over to New Zealand when their brother disappeared but could not stay to carry on their own investigations because of the cost.
Mr Newman's family told the Bay of Plenty Times they were convinced their brother was dead and that foul play was probably involved.
The family were unhappy the search was called off after only three days and believed police were too quick to blame Mr Newman's disappearance on depression after his wife died, said Mr Vorgerd.
Ms Vorgerd's husband told the paper from his home in Germany, the family had given up hope of finding Mr Newman alive.
Tauranga police Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross said there was nothing to suggest foul play, but it was not something police could eliminate.
The family have asked Interpol to look into the Tauranga police's handling of the matter.
There were two sightings the Tuesday after Mr Newman disappeared but the family do not believe he went into hiding and did not want to be found, police said.
Nothing had been ruled out, he said.
Anyone with information should contact police.
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