Police will not be laying charges against a Wainuiomata riding school that was investigated by a child abuse squad – despite having enough evidence.
In April (see earlier story), police issued a warning to Lower Hutt and Wainuiomata parents after a flyer advertising a school holiday riding programme organised by the company Horse Lovers was sent out to hundreds of parents with a primary school newsletter. Police said they had concerns about the organisation running the programme.
But Detective Sergeant Brent Murray confirmed today that no charges would be laid against two employees at the school. Though police had interviewed two children and had amassed enough evidence, Mr Murray said the alleged assaults were minor. The children’s parents did not want to put them through the trauma of the court process. “On the balance of our interviews and in consultation with the complainants, we have dealt with the complaints in the most appropriate way, which in this case did not involve prosecution,” he said. “Community safety is a priority for police especially when it comes to young people. I’m pleased with the work we’ve done in terms of providing the complainants with some reassurance and collating the information in a timely manner,” he said.
Mr Murray understood Horse Lovers had closed down and would not reopen. Confidentiality and privacy issues meant police were unable to go into details of the complaints made or the identity of individuals.
A Rimutaka prison guard, accused of dealing cannabis to inmates, has been remanded to appear in court in two weeks.
Jeffrey Mark Reid, 43, was arrested on June 4 and charged along with three prisoners and two women following a month-long cannabis investigation by the Corrections Department.
Reid, a unit manager in a high-security section of the Upper Hutt prison, was excused from appearing at Wellington District Court today, and remanded without plea on bail to reappear on June 29.
He faces charges of selling cannabis, conspiring to sell cannabis and cultivating cannabis
Saturday June 6
A senior prison manager charged with dealing cannabis to inmates was running one of the toughest units in Rimutaka, and an alleged accomplice is a career criminal who once beat a guard.
Jeffrey Mark Reid, 43, was arrested on Thursday and charged along with three prisoners and two women outside the wire following a month-long investigation, Operation Wire.
Police say Reid was part of a fledgling drug ring that was growing cannabis outside the prison and smuggling it inside to give to inmates.
They do not believe any cannabis was grown on prison grounds.
Reid was a unit manager, in charge of Unit HM7 and 8, a high-security section known to house a lot of gang members. He is a veteran of about 20 years in Corrections but has now been suspended from his job.
He appeared in Wellington District Court on Thursday charged with selling cannabis to Matthew Kidman, who sparked a two-day manhunt last November when he skipped bail on firearms charges.
He escaped from Hawke’s Bay Prison in 2004 while serving a six-year sentence for aggravated robbery, and once beat a prison guard during another botched escape attempt.
Kidman, two other prisoners and the two women will appear in court on Wednesday.
Reid was also charged with conspiring to sell cannabis and cultivating cannabis. He was remanded without plea, on bail, and will reappear on June 15.
Together, the six people face more than 20 supply, conspiracy and cultivation charges.
Six children were referred to Child, Youth and Family after being found in homes raided during the investigation.
Guards inside Rimutaka Prison were told of Reid’s arrest at a meeting on Thursday. A source said they were shocked because Reid was high up in prison management.
“He’s a unit manager, no one searches him,” said the source. “He can walk in loaded with dope. Who is going to search him?”
Reid’s Cuba St apartment and prison office were searched this week, along with addresses in Wellington and Hutt Valley and other areas inside the prison.
The arrests come 18 months after an inquiry found no systemic corruption at Rimutaka. It followed complaints from staff that a group of guards known as “the bro club” was smuggling in drugs, cellphones and food for prisoners.
At the time, 11 guards were suspended while the allegations were investigated.
Corrections Minister Judith Collins has asked for a report but said yesterday she was confident drug use was not rampant within Rimutaka.
“It is correct to say there is no systemic corruption,” she said. “It’s a prison full of criminals, and I think people should realise that.”
Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews said Reid’s arrest did not reflect the work of most prison guards.
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A Rimutaka prison unit manager, three prisoners, and two other people are facing a range of cannabis-related offences following a Police and Corrections Department bust.
Four men – one of whom is the Rimutaka unit manager – and two women will be charged with more than 20 offences relating to cannabis supply, cultivation and conspiracy. The unit manager was charged yesterday, and the three prisoners are due in court later today. As part of the operation police raided several addresses in Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
Detective Senior Sergeant Darrin Thomson said close liaison with Corrections had allowed police to be “very effective in disrupting this syndicate”. The charges were the result of information provided by Corrections in April indicating some people were supplying cannabis to Rimutaka Prison inmates. “This is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation that has enabled police to move quickly and effectively,” Mr Thomson said. “We believe the supply of cannabis was intended for Rimutaka inmates and the wider drug community”.
Corrections Department chief executive Barry Matthews said he expected “a high level of honesty and integrity from staff”. “The actions of one person should not detract from the hard work, dedication and professionalism shown by staff at Rimutaka Prison and across the country.”
Council engineers have put a figure of $2.2 million on the cost of the upgrading of the bus barn at Korohiwa. (see article)
The engineers assessed the building2 weeks ago and say they found that its state was not as dire as orginally thought.
A report has been furnished which states that a rental income of up to $100,000 could be expected from the barn upon refurbishment. Rental is still being negotiated between the tenant City line and the HCC. City Line is being asked to contribute $350,000 towards upgrade.
However even if recommendations are passed, it will most likely face opposition from several councillors.
Max Shierlaw Western Ward Representative (Normandale) says saving the barn is a waste of money, and wants the council to think hard about spending up to $3m on its upgrade and landscaping the bay.
“Just because its historic it doesn’t mean it needs to be restored” he says. “At the end of the day theres pressure on the budget, and we’ve all these requests for spending. you can’t just keep adding and adding without taking other things away”.
Cr Shierlaw also questions how much of the Eastbourne community supports an upgrade to the bus barn. He believes the issue was hijacked by vocal minority who want to get back at HCC.
Work on landscaping the bay is due to start shortly.
My opinion is that this area needs work, it is access to the Pencarrow coastal walk which is extremely attractive as a recreational option especially in summer both by walkers and mountain bikers. As for the Bus Barn at $2.2m seems a lot, a return of $100k does not add up in my eyes, but no doubt that providing bus shelter is hugely beneficial to City Line and regional transport hubs, that no doubt has been factored into this development.
Every building owner in Jackson Street has to submit a resource consent application to paint a building, its frontage or to comply to rules about signage.
Each consent application costs $750 which in the current economic climate is a distinct disincentive to upgrading buildings. The result, a reluctance to action any upgrade to the look of the 160 buildings making up Jackson St commercial area.
A recommendation was recented submitted to the Hutt City Council Operations and Compliance. One of its recommendations is that a subsidy of $600 be provided for each consent, notified or non-notified. This could see council income reduce by up to $24,000 based on current figures dependent on demand.
No doubt this equally will not be acceptable by council in the current climate either, as revenue from recent property development in Jackson Street has been curtailed given the economic climate against recent years.
Jackson Street has turned into a “destination” area for shopping and is a recent example of success that can be garnered from development provided with the right economic conditions both external (economy) and internal (council consents). Given this the council needs to be proactive in ensuring the continual success of this area by looking carefully into providing the right climate for this success to continue even if external conditions are against it.
Dont kill a success by being blinded by small time revenue gathering, look at what Petone offers to the Hutt and perhaps change the rules to be relaxed in the submission process.
Police have just arrived at a serious vehicle collision on SH2 Western Hutt Road just south of Maungaraki. Both northbound and southbound traffic has been affected. At this stage both northbound lanes are blocked and one south bound lane is still open.
After seven weeks and $500,000 spent fixing the Hutt Valley’s main sewerage pipeline, a new leak means council workers must walk all 18 kilometres of the waste expressway to plug the holes.
The first sign of the problem came on Saturday morning when effluent bubbled to the surface near the centre of Eastbourne while the pipe was being refilled. Despite this saga, the council says the pipeline is in “good condition” and that talk of a $20 million replacement is premature. About 2.5 million cubic metres of treated effluent has poured into Wellington Harbour since the first leak was found in March and the pipeline shut down. More than 1 million cubic metres will follow suit over an extra month of repairs, that will cost at least another $100,000. While the last repair job used CCTV cameras to identify leaks, this time council workers will physically walk the pipeline to spot any missed leaks.
Council city services general manager Bruce Sherlock said the first round of repairs which identified 11 leaks was finished last week. Refilling of the pipeline was about two-thirds complete when the new leak surfaced near Rimu St in the central shopping area of Eastbourne. Unlike most of the other leaks, the latest one stemmed from a crack in the pipeline and would require excavation work, Mr Sherlock said. “It’s frustrating … We regret it obviously and, once again, we’ll work as quickly as we can to get it fixed.”
The pipeline had since been emptied again at discharge points along the coastline. As a precaution, signs were put up at several bays warning people not to swim or collect shellfish in the area. However, he said all of the council’s tests had shown negligible health risks from the effluent which was usually of a higher quality than Wellington Harbour after a storm. Asked if the new leak meant the pipeline should be replaced, Mr Sherlock said the council’s position had not changed. “We’ve done the CCTV inspection, which confirmed what we already thought, which is that the pipe itself is in good condition.” But the walk-through could still provide new information, he said.
Eastbourne Community Board chairman Ian Young said the repeated discharges were concerning though a council engineer had briefed him on the pipeline. “It’s just fortunate it’s in the middle of winter when fewer people are going swimming.” Most residents wanted to avoid the huge disruption of having the entire pipeline replaced, he said.
Last week Hutt City Councillors approved issuing a lease of up to 33 years for land on the Eastern fringe of the Park so that Valley Indoor Sports can build a 3000sq mtr stadium incorporating 6 courts.
Valley Indoor Sports has run the indoor stadium off State Hughway 2 in Petone for the last 17 years. Owner Graham Kelly says around 3000 people a week play netball, soceer or cricket at the current stadium. His son Leigh Kelly, now runs day to day operation. NZ Transport Agency owns the lease over the old building and while there is no pressure to leave the current site early, the aim is to open the new stadium at Hutt Park in July next year. The Kellys will still have to get resource consent for the new stadium. Parking is a major consideration but upon formalisation of site layout in development that may be abated.
huttnz.co.nz 