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An 18-year-old woman has been arrested after the body of a premature baby was found naked on a concrete path outside a west Auckland house.

The baby was found on Monday afternoon at a house in Barron Drive, Green Bay.

She will appear in the Waitakere District Court today where she will be charged with concealing the dead body of a child, Ms Hegarty said. .

Waitemata police spokesperson Kevin Loughlin said the post mortem examination was completed yesterday, but police would not reveal the cause of death while the investigation continued.

The New Zealand Herald reported today that the boy, born four to 10 weeks early, was discovered at the home of two Indian women – a mother and daughter – who had moved into the house a few weeks ago.

The house, opposite a playground and close to a primary school, has been cordoned off by police.

Mr Loughlin said police were not seeking anybody else other than those already assisting police with their inquiries.

“They asked us if we’d seen anything suspicious, did we see any behaviour that made us think something weird was going on,” she told the Herald.

Neighbour Donna Muru was told by police they were investigating the suspicious death of a baby.

Detective Sergeant Sean Hyland-Mills of Waitakere CIB said police had examined the scene and spoken to medical professionals and the child’s relatives.

Ms Muru said she had seen nothing suspicious.

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About a dozen protesters faced the rain today to stick a summons on Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s door.

The protest, organised by Socialist Aotearoa was over National’s cutting of the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) and Ms Bennett’s revealing of beneficiaries’ private information.

The mothers said without it they would not be able to continue courses which would help them get jobs.

Ms Bennett has been under fire this week for revealing the welfare payment details of two solo mothers, on benefits, who complained about the Government’s decision to scrap the TIA.

“We think it’s disgraceful that people are trying to scapegoat on the poor and the unemployed and single mothers for the problems in society,” said Socialist Aotearoa member Joe Carolan.

The protesting group, a coalition of community, disabled and trade union groups, was at Ms Bennett’s West Auckland office today. .

“We are in a huge economic crisis at the moment where 50,000 people are going to lose their jobs so we need more support and more training for the unemployed in this period. We need all the help we can get, not to be yet again discriminated against by the Government.

“As a single parent and a student myself I know how hard it is to try and complete some training.

“It’s going to significantly affect my ability to keep studying.”

She said the cut would mean she would not have money for travel, text books and it would affect her ability to afford childcare.”

The summons, stuck on to Ms Bennett’s door, called for her to attend a hearing of “the people’s court” to defend her actions in cutting the TIA and revealing the personal information of the two beneficiaries.”

Ms Ferguson said she would keep studying regardless, but it would be “incredibly difficult.

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The hearing is set for next Saturday, at her office

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Seven months ago Owen Franks had never played a Super 14 match.

Now the 21-year-old tighthead prop is preparing to start against the Springboks in Sunday morning’s Tri Nations test at Absa Stadium, having been picked to replace Neemia Tialata who suffered a knee injury in last weekend’s 22-16 defeat to the ‘Boks in Bloemfontein.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has made just one other change to his starting side, bringing Jimmy Cowan back in for Brendon Leonard at halfback.

Although Tialata has played 36 tests, the introduction of in the inexperienced Franks, who has made three appearances as a substitute for the All Blacks this season, should not be viewed as a risky selection. . Later in the season Owen then leapfrogged Bronson Murray as the starting tighthead.

A technically sound scrummager, he also possesses a high work-rate around the field and rose to prominence with the Crusaders earlier this year when his older brother, Ben, who made one appearance against Munster for the All Blacks on last year’s end of year tour, was forced to sit a large chunk of the season with a broken foot.

If Franks continues to improve under the tutelage of All Blacks scrum coach Mike Cron he will be targeting a place in the 2011 World Cup squad as the management continue to seek replacements for Carl Hayman and Greg Somerville.

Linwood, a club that produced prominent All Blacks Fergie McCormick and Tane Norton, is proving a fertile environment for grooming brothers that have represented their country.

Franks, who was born in Motueka before moving to Christchurch as a youngster where he attended Christchurch Boys’ High School, is a member of the Linwood club and worked his way through the national secondary schools and under-21 teams before earning his Crusaders stripes.

Franks made his provincial debut against North Harbour as a 19-year-old in 2007 but battled to get starts with Canterbury behind Somerville and Campbell Johnstone. The Bachop brothers, Graeme and Stephen, and Aaron and Nathan Mauger, are also former All Blacks that represented the east Christchurch club. Cron is understood to be enthusiastic about the young man’s ability to scrum so well at such a young age.

Recently All Blacks forwards coach Steve Hansen revealed that Owen, who weighs around 116kg was several kilos heavier than Ben, who returned to the Crusaders squad late in the season after his rehabilitation.

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A woman has told of hearing Lesley Elliott’s “blood-curdling” scream when she saw her daughter being stabbed.

Shelley Ann Jones, who took Lesley Elliott’s 111 emergency phone call on January 9 last year, told the High Court in Christchurch that she was sent home to recover after taking the call.

Elliott dialled emergency services when she heard her daughter screaming as Clayton Weatherston attacked her in the bedroom at Elliott’s Dunedin home.

Clayton Robert Weatherston is on trial, accused of Sophie Elliott’s murder in Dunedin.

Jones said she heard a “very unpleasant” scream from Elliott when she saw her daughter on the ground.

Weatherston denies murdering Elliott, but accepts he is guilty of her manslaughter. It was a real scream when you know that it’s really happened.

“[It was] blood-curdling.. It was just . unsettling,” Jones said..”

It then said: “Inft can’t get in,” and noted the caller, Lesley Elliott, said she heard a “thumping” noise.

Jones’ computer entry about the telephone call stated: “Daughter attacked by partner. Female screaming .

Jones recorded: “Door opened. ..’

‘Killed her. ‘He’s killed her.’”

After the call was terminated, Jones said she took a break.’ ‘Blood everywhere.”

Sophie Elliott’s university supervisor Robert Alexander, is now giving evidence.

“I was quite pale and shaking so they told me to take the rest of the day.

“There was a lot of abuse.

“There was a lot of abuse. There were a lot of put-downs in the relationship,” Alexander said.

He described seeing Elliott the day before she was killed.

She had come to thank him and farewell him before she moved to Wellington to start a job at the Treasury later in the week. Elliott had ended up talking to him about Weatherston for almost two hours.

“She said to me, well, you don’t want to know about the other stuff, do you?” Alexander said.

Elliott talked about rumours being spread about her by Weatherston at the Treasury, in Wellington.

“She was aware that he was telling people that she was crazy,” Alexander said.

Cross-examination of Alexander by defence counsel Greg King is now under way.

MOTHER GIVES EVIDENCE

Earlier the court heard how Sophie Elliott “lost it” and “went at” her former boyfriend two days before he allegedly murdered her.

Sophie Elliott’s mother Lesley was giving evidence at the Christchurch High Court earlier today.

Lesley Elliott said her daughter was very upset about how she had become aggressive towards Weatherston in his Otago University office on January 7 last year.

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Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Sunday to quell political unrest and vowed to take tough action against protesters after they forced cancellation of an Asia summit.

Troops fired into the air when anti-government protesters stormed Thailand’s interior ministry on Sunday after Abhisit declared the emergency.

Supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra stormed the venue of an Asian summit in resort of Pattaya, forcing some leaders to flee by helicopter. They mobbed the prime minister’s car as he drove away from the ministry, beating it with clubs.

The cancelled summit has undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the economy, analysts said.

After declaring victory there, they have been gathering all day in central Bangkok and by 1200 GMT their numbers were estimated at around 40,000.

Abhisit appeared on television to warn the Thaksin supporters to stop or face tough measures allowed under the emergency.

Thaksin now lives in self-imposed exile but his absence has not healed the divisions between the royalist, military and business elite, who say he was corrupt, and the poor who benefited from his populist policies. It is necessary for the government to adopt the measures allowed in the emergency decree, in order to get the nation back to peace,” he said in a televised statement, hours after his car was attacked.

”We want to ask you to stop such action.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security matters, implored the security forces to do their job.

Some armoured vehicles have appeared on the streets but no action has been reported by security officers. Actions must be taken promptly and order be restored as soon as possible.

”Police and military officers must fully and forcefully carry out their jobs lest more damage is done.

A journalist at the Interior Ministry said soldiers initially made no effort to stop the protesters from entering the premises but later fired into the air to stop others getting in. Your superiors and I will take responsibility for all your actions,” he said in a statement on television. Others danced on top of the vehicles.

Some protesters had disabled the tracks of two armoured cars near police headquarters.

An army spokesman said on television the public should not be alarmed at the movement of such vehicles. Witnesses also saw armoured vehicles at the foreign ministry.

A demonstration at Abhisit’s office, Government House – the focus of the protests since late March – had earlier appeared to be winding down as people left the capital ahead of the three-day Thai New Year holiday from Monday. This was not a coup, but part of the security measures Abhisit has ordered, he said.

Leaders of the red-shirted, pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) said they had ”arrested” one of the prime minister’s security guards, claiming he had shot dead a protester at the ministry.

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Up to 300 police with riot shields were about 200 metres (yards) from the site.

A reporter saw the man’s badge, confirming he was part of Abhisit’s detail.

A reporter saw the man’s badge, confirming he was part of Abhisit’s detail. He said the guard was badly beaten up when he was brought to the Government House site where demonstrators later treated his wounds.

Speaking from a makeshift stage, UDD leader Jakrapob Penkair said the Thaksin supporters were ready to defend themselves.

“They are trying to force us into a people’s war. We will bring more people to Government House because the best way to defend ourselves is with numbers,” he said.

A reporter saw more than 100 petrol bombs, wooden stakes and metal poles. Surgical masks were being handed out.

Police said they had arrested Arismun Pongreungrong, a popular singer prominent in the UDD’s disruption of the summit, and were holding him at a police station north of Bangkok.

Abhisit suffered a political humiliation when the summit he had presented as a sign of the country’s return to normality had to be cancelled after the ”red shirts” broke into the venue.

Thaksin’s supporters say Abhisit only became premier last December as a result of parliamentary defections the army engineered. They want new elections, which they would be well placed to win. . Patareeya Benjapolchai, president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, said he was concerned.

”It’s really up to the government now how it manages the situation within this five-day break. What happened was a loss for the country. The Asean summit was supposed to be a step-up for our economy,” Patareeya told .

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Teens accused of resulting in $30,000 damage

– Monday, 23 February 2009

Five teenagers have been arrested in connection with an early morning rampage in which at least over $30,000 worth of damage was done to parked vehicles in Auckland. . It is also alleged they set fire to council wheelie-bins.Police allege the youths were travelling in a white station wagon and randomly throwing rocks and bottles through car windows.Police said they thought more damage might have been done but had gone unreported.On the same night a rock was also thrown through a bedroom window in which a mother and her child were sleeping.Police said Newmarket, Remuera, Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie, Glen Innes, Pakuranga and Half Moon Bay were the areas affected. They urged anyone who believed their property might have been damaged on that night to contact them.

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Boy in blue bears weight of funeral

in Auckland – Saturday, 31 January 2009

/The
BURDEN: A young constable bore the weight of both the police force and the Tongan community yesterday as he carried his cousin’s coffin.

A young constable bore the weight of both the police force and the Tongan community yesterday as he carried his cousin's coffin from a makeshift chapel in the backyard of his extended family's South Auckland home.
Naitoko was farewelled at a moving ceremony attended by more than 1000 mourners.
Police accidentally killed his cousin, 17-year-old Halatau Naitoko, during a shootout on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway on January 23. She later sobbed uncontrollably.
His heavily pregnant mother, Ivoni Fuimaono, wailed with grief as she lent over her dead son's coffin, kissed his forehead and stroked his hair. "His [Naitoko's] mother requested it," he said.
Asked to act as a pallbearer, Naitoko's cousin, Constable Joseph Ahotalafolau, 19, donned his dress blues for the occasion.
Standing beside the unfilled grave, relatives spotted a forbidden plastic flower on top of the coffin and called on the long arm of the law to retrieve it.
Although Ahotalafolau had permission from his bosses to wear his uniform, they were unaware of the special role he would play at the service or at the burial.
Ahotalafolau said few of his police colleagues had talked to him about his cousin's shooting.
Holding on to his feet, they lowered the young constable into the grave so he could reach the offending bloom."
But his uniformed presence at the service symbolised just how far Naitoko's family had come in forgiving the police for his death.
"It's been a bit hard.
Pastor Vosailangi Sikalu speaking through an interpreter told the gathering the blood of an innocent boy had been spilled.
Forgiveness was also the theme of the service attended by Police Minister Judith Collins, Commissioner Howard Broad and other central and local government figures. "Let that be the message to the Government officials and dignitaries, the minister of police, the police commissioner, even to the beloved policeman who fired the fatal shot.
"That blood is crying out for forgiveness," he said. "All he wanted to do was fulfil his obligation to his family," she said."
His aunt, Paea Sime, said Naitoko was a good and loyal son who worked hard to help his mother, and feed his younger siblings, even to buy nappies for his sister's baby."

. "He was killed in the line of his duty

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Proof needed to secure certificates

Thursday, 15 January 2009

Law changes designed to curb identity theft will come into effect this month.
From January 25, anyone ordering a birth, death, marriage, civil union or name-change certificate must offer proof of identity to obtain the document, unless the paper is a historical one.
The bill had a troubled passage through Parliament, and the previous Labour-led government took more than a year to secure enough support to pass the legislation. .
What had initially seemed a non-contentious proposal aimed at preventing criminals from obtaining the personal documents of someone else and using them for nefarious purposes was challenged by genealogists, historians and media concerned about the denial of access to previously public documents.
Older documents freely available without proof of identity include birth certificates from a 100 years or more ago, death certificates of stillbirths 50 years ago or more, marriage certificates dating from before 1929, and death certificates from before 1959.
When applying for a recent document, people need to sign a statement that proves their identity, and have the statement signed by a person such as a justice of the peace, doctor or teacher.
"While maintaining public access to the registers, these new requirements also provide better safeguards for people's personal information," Registrar-General Brian Clarke said.

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Violence of slaying shocks detective

– Wednesday, 24 December 2008

The beating that killed Christchurch prostitute Mellory Manning has shocked the detective in charge of the murder inquiry.
Ngatai Lynette Manning, 27, also known as Mellory, was found dead in the Avon River last Friday morning.
"Even with 29 years in the police, I was shocked at the level of violence that Mellory has been subjected to," he said.
Detective Inspector Greg Williams said she was strangled, stabbed in the chest several times and beaten about the head and legs with what appeared to be a piece of reinforcing steel.
"It is likely that Mellory was strangled, and this would have most likely rendered her unconscious," he said.
There were signs Manning had fought back, Williams said. It would be expected that there would have been significant blood loss at the time of this injury.
"Close to this occuring, she has sustained a number of significant blows to her head, resulting in severe head injuries."
Police had not ruled out the possibility of more than one attacker, Williams said.
"From these wounds and marks on her legs, it is believed that the weapon used is similar to a piece of reinforcing steel. A knife had been found in the river 150m upstream, but it was not known if it was involved in the attack.
Pathologists had indicated the weapon used to stab Manning was at least 16cm long and 2cm wide.
Police wanted to speak to their occupants, he said.
Williams said two vehicles seen in the Dallington Terrace area a four-wheel-drive and a white saloon were not the cars Manning was picked up in.
Neighbours said the house was often visited by police.
Manning lived in Upper Riccarton with her 41-year-old partner and his sister. In 2005, he lost an eye after being stabbed.
Manning's partner was jailed in 2006 for resulting in a trial to be aborted after he approached a juror.
Williams said people were ruled out only if they had alibis, and police were focusing on Manning's "last punter". The sister had more than 100 convictions for document fraud.
"We are concentrating on the vehicle that Mellory got into around 10.
The last vehicle she entered on Thursday night was still the focus of the investigation, he said. .30pm," he said. It had stopped at 10. It had stopped at 10.59.
"While we cannot be sure that this was the exact time Mellory went in the water at this stage, it gives us a time to work around," Williams said.
"I stress to the public that if they have any information about activities they may have seen between 10.30pm on Thursday and 6.55am on Friday, when Mellory's body was found, then they should contact us immediately."
Police set up a caravan close to the corner of Manchester and Gloucester streets last night and handed out flyers to passers-by.
Senior Constable Mike Withers said police had photographs of Manning, her jacket, boots and handbag set up on the footpath, which might help trigger people's memories.

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Mourners’ car antics disgusting say police

Saturday, 20 December 2008

The funeral for young man killed in a high-speed car crash erupted into mayhem as a convoy of boy racers tore up the roads, say police, who donned riot gear to disperse mourners.
Close to 100 cars turned out in convoy as friends and family took Brendon-Lee Roy Mehlhopt, 20, on his final road journey through Carterton on Thursday.
Mr Mehlhopt and Kyle Gregor died in a high-speed crash on December 11 near the Stokes Valley roundabout on Eastern Hutt Rd. But Mr Mehlhopt's family say no one was at risk and police were heavy-handed.
What unfolded after the funeral was an afternoon and night of bedlam on the streets, which police say was unnecessary.
"What they did was disgusting.
Acting Sergeant Ray Matthews said cars in the funeral convoy converged in Somerset Rd, Carterton, about 3pm, with many doing burnouts. They showed no respect for the residents who live down that road or their property by doing a bunch of burnouts and tearing up the road," he said."
The group quickly dispersed once police arrived, but trouble began again just after 10pm when police had more calls from George St residents concerned about the party.
"Their friend had just died in a crash and here they were putting themselves and others at risk with this idiotic tribute. Reinforcements were called and police returned in riot gear, Mr Matthews said.
Police arrived to be met by a fighting throng of more than 50, and had to retreat when they were pelted by beer bottles. We were trying hard to show restraint, given the circumstances.
"We were clearly outnumbered but fortunately there were a few in the mob who calmed things down before it erupted further."
Infringement notices were issued for traffic offences, but there were no arrests."
Infringement notices were issued for traffic offences, but there were no arrests.
"They weren't on the main road or endangering anyone. "These kids are all good kids and all they were doing were a few burnouts."
The post-funeral party did not turn into a street fight, she said. They did it for Brendon and I thought it was bloody neat. A few problems maybe, but it is the police who over-reacted. "There was no riot or drama. We did no harm to anyone.
"The day was about Brendon, giving him one last lap around town and partying in the way he would have wanted."