Crime

Lower Hutt: House Fire Cornwall Street Update

From Police website

Lower Hutt

Lower Hutt Residents Evacuated From Inferno

Part of a Lower Hutt residential street remains cordoned off today while Fire and Police investigators attempt to determine the cause of a large blaze that has destroyed or extensively damaged 6 addresses.

An unoccupied address under construction in Cornwall Street was discovered well alight by a passing Police patrol at about 1.30 am this morning.

Numerous fire appliances struggled to contain the fire that was fanned by strong and blusterous winds. Before the fire was controlled 4 neighbouring addresses were extensively damaged with others suffering smoke damage.

Detective Sergeant Mike Sears of the Lower Hutt CIB said “This was an incredibly dangerous situation. Emergency staff, assisted by members of the public, did an outstanding job evacuating all those exposed to risk despite the obvious risks to their own safety. It is amazing that no-one was physically harmed.”

Given the extent of the damage it will take some time before we are in a position to determine the cause of the fire. At this stage we are simply not in a position to say if it was deliberately lit or not.

Despite this we urgently need to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time, regardless of whether they think they saw anything suspicious or not.” Please call the Lower Hutt Police on 5602600.

Mike Sears
Detective Sergeant
Lower Hutt CIB

Full photos and article courtesy of Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit from the night of the incident.

Lower Hutt: Another home invasion this time in Avalon.

Early this morning saw the second home invasion in the Hutt Valley. Whilst not on the level of the Stokes Valley attack it is rather worrying that the nature of these attacks is increasing. Two things spring to mind economic hardship and drugs

Three people, including an elderly woman, were upset, but physically unharmed, after four men forced their way into their Lower Hutt home early today.

Lower Hutt police said the woman, in her nineties, and another adult couple were awoken by the four men forcing the front door of the Charleston Avenue, Avalon, home.

“The males made a hasty search before leaving with some property and the victims’ BMW motor vehicle,” said Detective Sergeant Mike Sears of Lower Hutt CIB.

“The victims are obviously very upset, but thankfully received no physical injuries.

“We are still investigating the motive for this crime.”

via Stuff

Police are trying to establish if there are any links between this and the Stokes Valley incident, and need help to locate the four young men.

Keep your eyes out for the stolen car, a blue BMW, registration ZX9069.

More indepth detail in this Herald report has emerged (Sunday) and Police now believe of the posssibility that a gang of assilants is operating in the Hutt Valley.

Lower Hutt Police seek details around Stokes Valley assault

Lower Hutt Police are seeking sightings of a red or maroon Mazda Astina 4 door liftback vehicle believed to be linked to an overnight home invasion in Stokes Valley.

The vehicle had been stolen from the lower level of the Westpac Stadium car park during business hours on Wednesday 11 November. At about 10.00 last evening Police discovered the car burning in the car park of Taita Bowling Club. An examination of the vehicle will take place today.

Also anyone noticing any suspicious behaviour around the Taita Bowling Club within the same time periods as the assault occurred.

Please contact the Lower Hutt Police Station with details

Stokes Valley: Serious armed attack overnight

Stokes Valley was in lockdown mode last night as Police were hunting for at least two armed offenders after the pair stormed into a Stokes Valley home and shot one man and bashed a woman with a gun early this morning.

“The intruders kicked in the door and fired at least two shots in the house, striking the male victim in the leg. His female partner was struck over the head with the gun, police said.

At least three children were in the house at the time.

The male victim, 37, suffered serious gunshot injuries to his leg. He was flown by Westpac rescue helicopter to Wellington Hospital after the armed invasion about 9.40pm.

The woman was able to call for an ambulance, as did neighbours who heard the shots. She was taken to Hutt Hospital with moderate head injuries. The victims’ car was also shot at and damaged.

Stokes Valley was in lockdown last night as police cordons prevented anyone from entering the entrance to the suburb and a helicopter circled overhead.

The two offenders wore balaclavas and black hooded sweatshirts when they entered the Amundsen Grove home and started shooting. Police believed they had a sawn-off shotgun.

Four men were in a red, four-door sedan that left after the shooting. A red car was found a short time later burnt out at Taita Bowling Club.

Police are investigating whether it is connected to the incident.

Armed police were still searching for the offenders early this morning.

Inspector Mike Coleman said the home invasion was premeditated. “It was obviously a planned attack. It’s possible they have mistaken the address and got the wrong people.”

via Stuff

Lower Hutt: Businessman sentenced following Tax evasion

The owner of a spray painting business in Petone has been sentenced to 10 months’ home detention and 250 hours’ community work for tax evasion of almost $250,000.

Robin Claude Smith, 66 of Wainuiomata was earlier found guilty in Wellington District Court of 95 charges of tax evasion.

Between 1999 and 2007, Smith conducted his spray painting business using two sets of books — one under the name Robin Smith Spraypainting, the other using the name R Smith Painting.

He used two invoice books and two bank accounts, but only supplied one set of records to his accountant, Inland Revenue investigations manager assurance Richard Philp told the court.

Smith deliberately set up the second entity and bookkeeping system with the intent that payments from certain clients would not be declared for tax purposes, Mr Philp said.

He declared only modest income, or small losses in his tax returns over the eight years reviewed, and used the undeclared income to fund a lifestyle that included overseas travel, purchasing expensive motor vehicles and importing pedigree dogs.

Mr Philp said this was a crime of greed. Smith not only cheated the Government out of the taxes due, he also obtained an unfair competitive advantage over legitimate businesses that pay their taxes.

Smith was found guilty of evading $245,578.96.

The court ordered reparation for the full amount of the outstanding tax evaded.

Pomare: Murder sentence past against resident.

I have been following this story for some time awaiting the outcome of the Trial. Against this is the current situation occurring in Farmer Cres at present and it seems to me the presence of a mentality of those that live there, or by circumstances made to live there.

A man who battered his partner to death then stuffed her body into a wardrobe has been found guilty of murder.

The woman’s family now want an apology from her killer.

Malcolm Ngeru, 44, unemployed of Taita, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mihi Tuhoro on July 20 last year. He admitted killing her but said he did not have the intent to do so because he was so drunk, and was instead guilty of manslaughter.

A jury in the High Court at Wellington yesterday took more than 10 hours to find him guilty of murder. He has been convicted and remanded in custody to December 11 for sentence.

Ms Tuhoro’s brother, Manuel Tuhoro, who sat through every day of the 2 1/2 week trial, was overwhelmed with emotion.

“A sorry or something would be nice,” he said outside court. “Not even his family is present.”

The jury was told Ngeru and Ms Tuhoro were alcoholics who lived in Lower Hutt’s Farmer Cres in a Housing New Zealand flat.

via Stuff

From my perspective it appears that those that live there are alienated from other social norms, expectations and society in general. I am no bleeding heart liberal in fact I side with quite a bit of what the Sensible Sentencing Trust advocates.

Has the area become such a gang enclave, that without adhering to the gang’s mentality there is no alternative, or is it because they respect that value system more, because it provides individual respect, income and the chance to get ahead.

In the case of all these indivduals both male and female is their self-esteem so low that they see no alternative to the life they lead? or conversely do our social agencies just place them back into the areas that are familiar to them, I think not in this case alternatives were provided, not accepted, as is the case with the current situation of the residents fight against Housing NZ.

I’m not here to present answers, there are many vastly more qualified than me, but when was the last time you looked at the area around Farmer Cres, Pomare?

To be polite I would call it low socio-economic area, in another term perhaps a ghetto of disenfranchised individuals. I hate the housing that was presented as a solution to low-cost accommodation in the 60s when the Hutt needed low skilled labour. I always felt that the solution with State Housing whether state or local should be spread around amongst other areas rather than high-rise towers and feel it was a British import that was not needed given the ample supply of land at the time. Brixton London, and its problems come to mind.

Where am I going with all this, I don’t know the answers (neither does any of the government agencies) but I am going to walk around Farmer Cres this weekend and see how I feel, rather than drive past without thinking about it.

Wainuiomata: People in Police custody following Shotgun incident

Three people are continuing to help Police after an incident that is suspected to be gang related occurred in Wainuiomata. The incident followed a shotgun discharge in Castlerea St which sparked an Armed Offenders Squad callout in the early afternoon following a report from a member of the public.

The media is reporting no-one is injured and the incident was over by 4pm, with the AOS been stood down earlier. At this stage no firearm has been recovered and Police are continuing their investigation with the occupants of the house.

Naenae: Police need help finding attackers

I’m a bit over these random attacks that are occurring by our youth against other youth. Recent Queensgate attacks, and the incident at Hutt Valley High School last year show violence against one another is accepted. These guys need to be found and brought to account quickly. I hope they are really over 16 so they can be made accountable.

Police seek shoe-stealing thugs
NZPA

Police are hunting “cowardly thugs” who bashed up a 15-year-old boy and stole his shoes.

Lower Hutt police believe the victim was followed by two members of a larger group from the Naenae Shopping Centre on Tuesday afternoon.

He was then set upon and robbed of his shoes and was lucky to escape with only minor injuries.

“This is a random and violent attack, carried out in broad daylight at a busy time of the day,” Detective Constable Mike Smith said.

“The victim was targeted solely because of the type of shoe being worn. It was a cowardly attack committed by thugs who need to be prosecuted.”

The offenders are described as Maori, aged about 16-17. One had short brown hair with a bleached blond ‘mullet’ and wore a white top and short.

Mr Smith appealed for any witnesses in the Chapman Crescent/Sladden Street area to come forward.

Via Stuff

Wainuiomata: Man gets 7-1/2 years for attack

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.

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”.

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.

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

“You were fortunate you did not kill the complainant.”

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Via NZPA

At first I had put Mr Grindrods attack as a crime passionnel (or crime of passion) but no sympathy here, previous attacks on children. Mr Grindrod was lucky not to have received the maximum sentence, and it seems his violent past has caught up with him in receipt of this sentencing.

Petone: Local man acted like “Bonnie & Clyde” episode

Wellington, Sept 9 NZPA – A Lower Hutt man accused of stealing a car and petrol, then leading police on a high-speed chase had his sentencing delayed when he appeared in Taupo District Court today.

Regan Shannon McKinley, 20, of Petone, pleaded guilty to 14 charges when he appeared before Judge James Rota in Taupo District Court last month.

He was then remanded for sentencing this week, but today that was put back to September 23.

McKinley stole a Subaru Impreza and then $105 worth of petrol from BP Geyser in Rotorua on August 10.

He later refused to get out of the vehicle after being stopped by police on State Highway 5, north of Taupo. He sped off, striking Constable Janine O’Connor on the knee and was chased for 40km at speeds up to 170kmh.

After road spikes deflated three tyres on the car, he drove another 9km before being stopped and arrested.

Ms O’Connor suffered minor bruising and a sore left knee but did not require medical help.

McKinley was found to have a breath alcohol reading of 476mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400mcg.

He also faces numerous charges from courts in Taupo, Tauranga and Lower Hutt.

Judge Chris McGuire today indicated McKinley could expect to receive 12 months home detention, a further disqualification from driving and reparation.

He described McKinley’s actions as a “Bonnie and Clyde episode which was serious, reckless, dangerous and seriously criminal”.

He was remanded in custody.

Via NZPA WGT