Two a penny

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South Auckland police are hunting a suspected serial paedophile sex offender who has already attacked two young girls. . The attacks started early last month.

Detective Senior Sergeant, Daryl Harper said he had concerns “for the escalating nature and frequency of offending.

The Mangere CIB and Child Abuse Team Detectives are leading the hunt and say the attacks all happened around a walkway between Cape Road and Mascot Avenue in Mangere.

In the first attack on Tuesday September 8, about 2.”

Police are urging parents to walk with their children to and from school in the area.45pm, the man dragged a 12-year-old girl to the ground and indecently assaulted her, said Mr Harper.

The eight-year-old was attacked while her younger sister screamed for help.

Then on Monday October 19 he attacked an 8-year-old girl and her 6-year old sister as they went home from School on the same walkway.

He saw a man and chased him into a close toby park where he lost him. The girls’ father heard the cries and ran into the walkway.

The attacker grabbed her top.

In the last attack, on Thursday October 22 a 28-year-old mother was pushing her son in a pram in the walkway. She punched him and he ran off. She punched him and he ran off.5ft high.

The offender is described as Polynesian man aged 18-20 years, 5.

. On one occasion he wore a dark green hoodie sweat shirt and dark jeans on another he wore a black baseball cap, white hooded sweat shirt with a black or dark collar

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Police want to hear from anyone who sees unexplained damage on a four-wheel-drive vehicle with bull bars following an incident which left a Tokoroa teen in hospital. .

Detective Sergeant Kevan Verry said it appeared the incident happened after an altercation in the centre of the Waikato township between two groups.30am yesterday.

It was not known if the vehicle had sustained any damage in the incident.

Police were treating the incident as a serious assault.

The scene examination had been completed and several witnesses spoken to.

“If any person knows of someone who drives or owns a vehicle of this type that has some unexplained damage, they are urged to contact police,” Mr Verry said.

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The teenager remains in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital

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A jealous lover was today jailed for a claw hammer attack on a man who he believed to be his ex-girlfriend’s new partner.

Trevor William Grindrod, 34, was sentenced at the High Court in Wellington to seven years and nine months imprisonment.

The man barricaded himself in the bedroom and told Grindrod he had called the police, “but you were not to be denied,” attacking him with the claw hammer, Justice Gendall said.

Justice Warwick Gendall said that six weeks after Grindrod split with his girlfriend, he visited her house uninvited and saw her with a workmate, “you thought, in a mildly amorous situation”.

“You were fortunate you did not kill the complainant.

“This was an unprovoked, prolonged, gratuitous attack with a lethal weapon,” Justice Gendall said.

He smashed his way into the property through a window, broke through the bedroom door and began hitting the man in the head and body with the hammer, adding punches and kicks.”

Crown prosecutor Kate Feltham said Grindrod walked from Wainuiomata to the workmate’s Lower Hutt house, “picking up” the hammer on the way.

Grindrod told police he was trying to kill the man and was initially charged with attempted murder.

The attack spilled into the bathroom where Grindrod ripped a vanity from the wall and attempted to beat his victim with it.

His victim suffered numerous injuries including a broken nose, but after months of physiotherapy escaped long term physical damage.

This was later reduced to injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

“You are a violent man with a low anger threshold and when slighted by others, or you think you are, you attack.

Justice Gendall noted Grindrod had 20 previous convictions, four of which were for assault and included two attacks on children between late 2007 and early 2008.”

A starting point of 10 1/2 years jail was given, but Grindrod was given a “generous discount” of one-third for his early guilty pleas.”

He said Grindrod had attended an anger management course, “but it appears to have had little effect.

Grindrod was also sentenced to five years for aggravated burglary and two years for grievous damage, to be served concurrently, and ordered to pay $3269 in reparation for property damage on his release. A further nine months was added in light of his previous convictions.

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Justice Gendall said Grindrod was fortunate the crown had not sought a minimum jail period

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A man was crushed to death in an elevator shaft at the Fonterra plant in Edendale, Southland, this morning.

An ambulance communications spokesman said it received a report at 11.08am of a worker gone missing in an elevator shaft.

A Fonterra spokeswoman said the man was a contractor working on installing the plant’s ED4 drier, as part of a $212 million expansion due to be commissioned in the next two weeks.

The man was found dead by ambulance services, from a “crushing injury,” the spokesman said.

The Labour Department has confirmed it is investigating the fatal accident.

“Our thoughts are with the contractors family, colleagues and friends at this terrible time,” the spokeswoman said. . Theodorus Rangihu Blake, 52, of New Plymouth, was crushed to death at the company’s Hawera, Taranaki, plant in January.

It it the second incident this year where a Fonterra employee died while at work.

-By MICHAEL FORBES and DEBBIE JAMIESON,

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Prime Minister John Key has struck turbulence in Niue over aid.

The island’s premier, Toke Talagi, today ratcheted up the stakes by threatening to seek aid money from China if New Zealand did not release funds which he said Niue desperately needed to put its economy on a sounder footing.

“It makes sense for us to look at other forms of support to ensure that we can do the things we want to do for our economy as quickly as possible,” he said. If we don’t do that in a timely manner we are wasting our time, therefore we’ve got to look elsewhere if we can’t access those funds from New Zealand.

“The opportunity that is available to us at the present moment is to build our economy, build accommodation for example so we can get a second [Air New Zealand] service from New Zealand.

At issue is about $4 million in aid money which falls outside the annual aid assistance provided by New Zealand to Niue.”

But Mr Key said he was waiting for the arrival of a special envoy from New Zealand to consider how the aid money should be spent before it was released. It is tagged for economic development aimed at making the island’s economy more sustainable.

Mr Key said the money would be released as long as the Government was confident the funds would be deployed in the right places.

The island, which has a population of fewer than 2000, is heavily dependant on aid.

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A plane flying from Great Barrier Island to Auckland with around 11 people on board was forced to turn back yesterday when one of its propellers broke apart shortly after take-off.

Traffic Accident Investigation Commission chief investigator Tim Burfoot said they knew very little about the incident involving the Great Barrier Airlines plane but an investigator had been sent to the island.

He said the rear-propeller of the tri-engine plane, believed to be a Britten Norman Trilander, had broken apart and either one or both blades had detached themselves from the rear engine’s propeller hub mid-flight.

Mr Burfoot said pilots were trained to handle such situations and it was standard practice for planes to find a suitable spot for an emergency landing.

“The plane made a successful return and nobody was injured,” he said.”

It was unclear what damage there was to the plane.

“The plane had three engines, that particular plane, so they obviously would have lost one and [the pilot] would have shut that down when it happened and he would have had the other two.

The investigation was expected to take several days. .

Great Barrier Island fire and police said they were not aware of the incident.

– By Michael Field and Clio Francis,

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LATEST:
Lock Jason Eaton and wing Hosea Gear have been handed international recalls as Graham Henry today unveiled his 30-strong All Blacks squad for the Tri-Nations.

The selection of Eaton and Gear, who both toured with the All Balcks at the end of last year, and the return from injury of experienced performers Richie McCaw, Rodney So’oialo and Sitiveni Sivivatu are the features of the squad named this morning by Henry and his assistant coaches Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen.

Dropped from the Iveco Series squad is exciting young Counties Manukau wing Lelia Masaga, who could claim to be hard done by after being given only a fleeting chance to shine, and Waikato loose forward Liam Messam who seems to have paid the price for a shoddy performance in Dunedin against France.

Toeava has been named in the squad but Henry confirmed he will miss the first three tests of the Tri-Nations with a stress fracture in his foot.

The squad has a 17-13 forwards-backs split, but it continues to be dogged by injury with utility back Isaia Toeva the latest to join the list of walking wounded.

The return of All Blacks captain McCaw will be a massive boost, with the skipper now fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the Iveco Series. Five-eighth Stephen Donald is also carrying a hamstring strain that may put his participation in the July 18 competition opener against the Wallabies in doubt. .

Both last played for the All Blacks on the 2008 Grand Slam tour, with the pair returning to New Zealand yesterday after helping the Junior All Blacks to victory in the recent IRB Pacific Nations Cup in the Pacific Islands.

The big movers have been 26-year-old Hurricanes and Taranaki lock Eaton and 25-year-old Hurricanes and Wellington winger Gear who have both been whistled up out of the Junior All Blacks. They will then reassemble in Auckland next Sunday to start preparations for the competition opener.

The All Blacks squad will get together in Wellington for a two-day camp next week (Wednesday and Thursday) with four players added as cover.

Players not considered for selection due to injury include lock Ali Williams (Achilles), wing Rudi Wulf (shoulder), flanker Adam Thomson (hand), centre Richard Kahui (shoulder), lock Anthony Boric (toe), halfback Andy Ellis (ribs), hooker Corey Flynn (forearm), flanker Scott Waldrom (back) and first-five eighths Daniel Carter (Achilles).

They are: Hurricanes and Wellington utility back Tamati Ellison, Crusaders and Canterbury first five-eighths Stephen Brett and 2008 All Blacks Ben Franks and Anthony Tuitavake, who were all members of the victorious Junior All Blacks squad.

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The Rimutaka Hill Road north of Wellington was open early tonight after being closed because of snow but may close again later tonight.

NZ Transport Agency highways manager for Wellington, Rob Whight said the agency’s contractor was clearing a further dusting of snow this evening, but there was potential for the road to close overnight.

Freezing weather has hit much of the country today.

If the road had to be closed overnight it would be reopened in time for morning traffic between the Wairarapa and Wellington, unless conditions were too bad.

New Zealand Transport Agency operating manager David Bates told Radio New Zealand there was a lot of ice and snow about, especially around Dunedin.

State Highway 87 in the South Island was also closed because of the chilly conditions.”

The agency was also urging caution on the Desert Rd, State Highway 1 between Waiouru and Turangi in the Central North Island, where up to 5cm of snow was expected on the road.

”This evening the problem’s going to be ice and we’re recommending in Dunedin and areas around Dunedin people don’t go out unless it’s absolutely essential.

Heavy snow falls in Dunedin caused a number of accidents and closed roads in and out of the city.

Snow, black ice and sleet caused traffic chaos in and around the hills of Dunedin earlier today.

Sergeant Ed Baker said Dunedin’s roads had quietened down this afternoon once people realised they shouldn’t be driving around in such conditions.

Schools were also closed because buses could not take students to school.

It had been so busy police were not attending minor accidents where cars slid off the road.

The Kilmog Hill, on SH1 north of Dunedin, was close to reopening but flurries of snow threatened to keep it closed, he said.

Snow also closed Dunedin Airport earlier today, cancelling a total of 10 flights and the travel plans of 480 people. There had been no serious injury accidents, he said.40am.

However, the snow cleared and flights were able to leave from 10. .

Dunedin Airport was only rarely closed because of snow, said Air New Zealand airport manager Alistair Bevin.

For the rest of Otago, Southland and Fiordland there would be snow to close to sea level, with snow levels rising.

Snow showers would clear by evening for a frosty night but it would be fine tomorrow for north and Central Otago.

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– Next National story: –
Court dismisses Gardner’s appeal

– National Homepage –

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Snow showers were forecast for Porters Pass, Lindis Pass and the Milford Road in the South Island

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A Poverty Bay teenager found dead in his
bed yesterday suffered head injuries in an fight at a party last week,
police say.

A homicide investigation has been launched, Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott of Gisborne CIB said.

Family members found Waylin Te Rau Aroha Ngarangione, 19, dead at his family home in Manutuke, 13km southwest of Gisborne, about 9am yesterday.

`We’re still trying to work out exactly what’s happened,” he said.

The teen had been involved in an fight during a small party at the house in Manutuke last Wednesday night, Mr Scott said. It was at a party of about eight to 10 people, a small group of family and friends.

“I think it was just a minor argument.

“We’re still working through it, talking to all the people who were there, just putting a picture together.

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– Next Crime story: –
Body may be that of missing man

– National Homepage –

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Attacker asks victim not to call police

Saturday, 21 February 2009

A manwho broke into a Porirua home, pinned a woman to her bed and punched her repeatedly, apologised and asked her not to call police before fleeing.
The attack happened as the woman, in her 40s, was preparing for bed in her Whitby home about 11.15pm on Wednesday. "The first thing that went through my mind was: `this is not a burglary, he's going to rape me'.
The woman had just come out of an ensuite bathroom and saw the man come out of her walk-in wardrobe."
In a frenzy she lashed out with her arms and legs but the intruder managed to throw her on the bed, punching her repeatedly on the face and covering her mouth to stifle the screams.
"But I wasn't going to let that happen, I was going to fight.
"He was covering my mouth and nose as well."
But the woman kept fighting, punching his head and body and pulling down the clothing he used to cover the lower part of his face. For a couple of seconds I thought, `My God, I'm going to suffocate'. He repeated "sorry, sorry" before leaving the house.
The man soon stopped, apologising to her, saying he was doing a "job" for someone but had got the wrong address.
"The whole experience still feels so surreal, but he had no right.
The woman received medical treatment for cuts and bruises and, though she said one side of her face looked ghastly, she was just thankful things had not been worse. And I'm very worried that he will do it again to someone else. And I'm very worried that he will do it again to someone else.
The man is described as dark skinned, clean shaven, of medium build and about 1. He believed the man got into the house through an unlocked door. He was possibly wearing a dark top.75 metres (5ft 7in) tall.

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Police would like to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious persons or vehicles around Staithes Drive North in Whitby on the night of the attack, or from anyone who has had anything similar happen to them