Two a penny

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A “serious balls-up” by Christmas hamper company Chrisco needs to be investigated by the Government, a rival hamper company says.

Hampsta New Zealand Ltd has asked the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to investigate after Chrisco Hampers claimed money deposited by their customers went to an AAA rated bank.

The money however, was deposited in a bank with a AA rating – a less secure rating.

“They are misleading customers.

Consumer Institute chief executive Sue Chetwin said that action breached the Fair Trading Act.

Chrisco said in a statement today it had understood the bank it had deposited funds in was AAA, but had now been advised it was AA.”

A Commerce Commission spokeswoman confirmed today that the commission had an open investigation into Chrisco under the Fair Trading Act.

“Chrisco apologises if this inadvertent error has caused concern to any of its customers and will ensure any material is changed to reflect this,” the statement said.

“Now that someone has raised it, because it’s a serious offence, they just want to say sorry?

“What about the 50,000 people that have got money with them and potentially gave them money on that basis?”

Mr Alway said his firm would continue to push the ministry to investigate the company.

But Hampsta general manager Gary Alway said Chrisco had claimed the AAA rating for the last 16 years.

“It’s a serious balls-up,” he said.

He previously raised the issue with Chrisco and yesterday made a complaint to the ministry and government ministers. .

“The New Zealand public need to have confidence in statements made by companies about their money and it would seem Chrisco has stepped well over the line saying that their bank. . . .”

The commission spokeswoman said the issue relating to statements made about AAA rated banks formed part of the investigation in Chrisco.

–

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“It is important to note that anyone can take action under the Fair Trading Act and that only the courts can decide if the Act has been breached and set appropriate penalties,” she said

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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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A 75-year-old woman was the subject of a more than 160km police pursuit with a twist on Tuesday.

The Taiwanese woman, who was in Te Anau with a group of tourists, left a gift shop wearing a jacket allegedly without paying for it before boarding her tour bus.
Constable James Ure, of Te Anau, said the woman had been in Kowhai Gifts & Souvenirs in the town centre and allegedly walked out of the shop wearing the polar-fleece jacket about 3pm.
Mr Ure gave chase, trying to get the Queenstown-bound driver of the bus to pull over to no avail.
Police were called, but the woman had already left on her bus, he said.
Meanwhile, inquiries made by the Te Anau police station receptionist led to her tracking down a phone number for the driver, whom she rang and managed to get him to pull over at Jacks Point 17km from Queenstown, Mr Ure said. .
Language barriers proved to be a problem when it came to interviewing the woman, he said, but the woman said she believed her husband had paid for the jacket.
The woman was likely to be referred for police diversion, he said.
Her alleged offending, subsequent arrest and questioning in Te Anau had interrupted her tour and late yesterday her bus was believed to be in the Mackenzie Basin, Mr Ure said.
People of all ages were prone to attempt to steal goods, he said.
Kowhai Gifts & Souvenirs owner Yasu Omori, of Te Anau, said shoplifting by tourists was quite common at the shop, but it did have good systems in place to catch light-fingered customers.
“She just looked like a very nice American woman.
A 63-year-old American woman was caught ripping the store off late last year.”

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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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Veitch set to sue radio star

By JOHN MATHESON – Sunday, 22 February 2009

Veitch basks in limelight back on screen

Face-off may be avoided in Veitch trial

Controversialbroadcaster Willie Jackson is refusing to make a personal apology to Tony Veitch over allegedly defamatory comments he made about the TV star last week.
And despite the threat of legal action against him and employers Radio Live, Jackson last night refused to back down from his statement Veitch should never have been allowed to appear on a TV sports show last week.
Veitch is accused of six counts of assault on a female and one of injuring former girlfriend Kristin Dunne-Powell with reckless disregard.
On Wednesday he made his first television appearance since July last year when he was a guest on Sky's Deaker on Sport.
The alleged incidents, which cost him his high-profile TV and radio jobs, took place between March 2002 and January 2006.
Jackson made a number of comments relating to the charges Veitch faces and then said: "I don't want to see the mongrel on television.
Jackson afternoon host on Radio Live with former political bad-boy John Tamihere potentially derailed Veitch's comeback. I don't want to see the mongrel get any work. Stuff him.
"I just want to destroy his career right now."
understands Veitch has instructed lawyers to take action against Jackson and Radio Live. It's my mission to destroy him.
"I apologised on air within half an hour of saying what I said but if he wants to carry on (with legal action) it's not my problem," Jackson said.
Jackson last night said while some of what he said was "silly" he wouldn't back down from his stand that Veitch shouldn't be back on TV until his court case is over.
"What's the problem? I made a comment, I apologised.
"What's the problem? I made a comment, I apologised.
"But I stand by what I said about him not being on Sky TV. I said a couple of silly things about destroying him and I shouldn't have said that. But he should have to go through the (court) process first.
"Not that I don't believe in redemption.
"Tony was absolutely devastated," a close friend said."
was told Veitch was listening to Radio Live when Jackson made his comments. Willie also said that Tony admitted to all of this, which again, is not true.
"People were taking Willie's comment on board as fact. And angry enough to want to take legal action. .
understands once Veitch deals with the assault charges his legal team will pursue Jackson and other media outlets.
understands once Veitch deals with the assault charges his legal team will pursue Jackson and other media outlets.
"Matters in relation to media organisations who have proffered these false statements, including the ones that he booted her in the head, threw her down the stairs and left her unconscious for six hours will be looked at later," said Veitch's PR manager Glenda Hughes.
"We are aware that Willie apologised for threatening to destroy Tony but never once did he retract or apologise for the many false and wildly exaggerated statements he made."
Media experts said the comments could amount to defamation if Radio Live was unable to prove what Jackson said was true.
Radio Live boss Mitch Harris said he wasn't concerned by Veitch's threat of legal action and said he was confident Jackson didn't break the law.
"If they want to go and sue us then they can go ahead," he said.
Hughes said there there was "major concern" over how comments like Jackson's could affect Veitch's right to a fair trial.
"Readers and listeners, who are potential jurors, could be influenced by these wildly exaggerated and totally false statements," she said.
Meanwhile those close to Veitch contine to monitor him closely.
Last month emergency services discovered the former star in a "distressed state" when he was holidaying at the popular Coromandel beach resort of Pauanui.
Veitch had been with wife Zoe Halford before he went missing on the night of January 2 and was rushed to Thames Hospital following a tablet overdose.
In September he was airlifted to hospital following an earlier suicide bid at Mangawhai, north of Auckland.

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Veitch set to sue radio star

By JOHN MATHESON – Sunday, 22 February 2009

Veitch basks in limelight back on screen

Face-off may be avoided in Veitch trial

Controversialbroadcaster Willie Jackson is refusing to make a personal apology to Tony Veitch over allegedly defamatory comments he made about the TV star last week.
And despite the threat of legal action against him and employers Radio Live, Jackson last night refused to back down from his statement Veitch should never have been allowed to appear on a TV sports show last week.
Veitch is accused of six counts of assault on a female and one of injuring former girlfriend Kristin Dunne-Powell with reckless disregard.
On Wednesday he made his first television appearance since July last year when he was a guest on Sky's Deaker on Sport.
The alleged incidents, which cost him his high-profile TV and radio jobs, took place between March 2002 and January 2006.
Jackson made a number of comments relating to the charges Veitch faces and then said: "I don't want to see the mongrel on television.
Jackson afternoon host on Radio Live with former political bad-boy John Tamihere potentially derailed Veitch's comeback. I don't want to see the mongrel get any work. Stuff him.
"I just want to destroy his career right now."
understands Veitch has instructed lawyers to take action against Jackson and Radio Live. It's my mission to destroy him.
"I apologised on air within half an hour of saying what I said but if he wants to carry on (with legal action) it's not my problem," Jackson said.
Jackson last night said while some of what he said was "silly" he wouldn't back down from his stand that Veitch shouldn't be back on TV until his court case is over.
"What's the problem? I made a comment, I apologised.
"What's the problem? I made a comment, I apologised.
"But I stand by what I said about him not being on Sky TV. I said a couple of silly things about destroying him and I shouldn't have said that. But he should have to go through the (court) process first.
"Not that I don't believe in redemption.
"Tony was absolutely devastated," a close friend said."
was told Veitch was listening to Radio Live when Jackson made his comments. Willie also said that Tony admitted to all of this, which again, is not true.
"People were taking Willie's comment on board as fact. And angry enough to want to take legal action. .
understands once Veitch deals with the assault charges his legal team will pursue Jackson and other media outlets.
understands once Veitch deals with the assault charges his legal team will pursue Jackson and other media outlets.
"Matters in relation to media organisations who have proffered these false statements, including the ones that he booted her in the head, threw her down the stairs and left her unconscious for six hours will be looked at later," said Veitch's PR manager Glenda Hughes.
"We are aware that Willie apologised for threatening to destroy Tony but never once did he retract or apologise for the many false and wildly exaggerated statements he made."
Media experts said the comments could amount to defamation if Radio Live was unable to prove what Jackson said was true.
Radio Live boss Mitch Harris said he wasn't concerned by Veitch's threat of legal action and said he was confident Jackson didn't break the law.
"If they want to go and sue us then they can go ahead," he said.
Hughes said there there was "major concern" over how comments like Jackson's could affect Veitch's right to a fair trial.
"Readers and listeners, who are potential jurors, could be influenced by these wildly exaggerated and totally false statements," she said.
Meanwhile those close to Veitch contine to monitor him closely.
Last month emergency services discovered the former star in a "distressed state" when he was holidaying at the popular Coromandel beach resort of Pauanui.
Veitch had been with wife Zoe Halford before he went missing on the night of January 2 and was rushed to Thames Hospital following a tablet overdose.
In September he was airlifted to hospital following an earlier suicide bid at Mangawhai, north of Auckland.

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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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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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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