Enraged 'mistress' kills innocent motorist while chasing lover's wife
Sharanjit Kaur tried to intimidate the other woman, at one point stopping in the middle of the road and hitting her car windows before following her again at speed.
She eventually crashed into an oncoming car, killing an innocent member of the public as she drove on the wrong side of the road.
The circumstances of the crash, which claimed Jonathan 'Jono' Baker's life on the morning of June 27 last year, have left his family devastated and angry.
In a packed Hamilton District Court room this afternoon, nine family and friends read their heartbreaking statements to Judge Arthur Tompkins.
Baker's mother-in-law, Colleen White, said the family could make some sense of an angry wife chasing her husband's mistress, but 'a mistress chasing down his wife over a legitimate family photograph reads like a bad novel'.
Kaur's counsel, Anjeet Singh, acknowledged her client was a 'deeply troubled woman' but urged the judge not to send the 40-year-old to prison. 'She was hammering the driver's side window'
Kaur and her partner, known only in court proceedings as 'Mr R', had been together for eight years and were living together.
However, Mr R was still married to his wife, known as 'Mrs R', who lives with his parents and children.
Mrs R was aware of her husband's relationship with Kaur; but he had refused to get divorced and often stayed at the familial home, causing 'ill-feeling' on behalf of Kaur.
Several nights before the crash, Mr R took his wife and family to an Indian restaurant at Botany Downs, East Auckland, and took a photograph, with Mrs R's hand on her husband's shoulder, and also showing her wedding ring.
About 8.40am on June 27, when at Horsham Downs School for her children's school assembly, Mrs R got a call from Mr R that Kaur had seen the photo and wanted her to say the photo was historic.
She wouldn't and instead confirmed it was recent, and then heard Kaur 'shouting angrily' in the background.
Kaur stormed off, and Mr R went to work.
After the assembly finished, Mrs R began driving home, and as she passed Resolution Drive spotted Kaur's vehicle parked on the roadside.
Kaur then pulled out and followed Mrs R on to Henderson Rd and overtook her before pulling in front of her and travelling alongside her.
Kaur would slow down then speed up as Mrs R travelled behind her, in what Judge Tompkins found was an attempt to intimidate or scare her.
She then drove ahead and stopped her Toyota in the middle of both lanes, forcing Mrs R to also stop.
Kaur got out and began 'hammering' her driver's window. Fearing for her safety, Mrs R drove around her on to the grass to get away.
Kaur got back in her Toyota and chased her, as Mrs R drove at around 120kmh to try to get away.
After turning right on to Boyd Rd, Kaur pulled up alongside Mrs R's vehicle as she travelled at 120kmh.
That stretch of road is straight but leads to a steep incline towards the intersection with Williamson Rd.
Kaur remained travelling on the wrong side of the road, driving at between 125kmh and 136kmh, and as she reached the crest of the hill, collided with Baker's vehicle, which was coming the other way.
Kaur braked, reducing her speed to around 109kmh at the point of impact.
Baker suffered a ruptured aorta and was killed instantly.
Kaur suffered minor injuries, while Mrs R called emergency services.
Sharanjit Kaur was jailed for four years when she appeared in the Hamilton District Court today on a charge of reckless driving causing the death of Jonathan Baker last year. Photo / Belinda Feek 'I cried ... I yelled'
Baker, 49, was a respected staff member at the Department of Corrections and worked as a team leader at community probation.
On the morning of the crash, he'd just visited a team member who was off work with an injury, and after leaving was going to drop off his vehicle for a service before heading back to work in central Hamilton.
Baker's wife, Andrea, described the last time she saw her beloved husband on the morning of the crash; how he'd made her a coffee, said 'I love you', before giving her a cheeky smile and leaving for the day.
She then recalled being given the devastating news that he'd been killed in a crash.
'I cried ... I yelled.
'My heart is almost constantly consumed by [his] loss and trying to work out my new normal.'
Devout Christians, she knew her husband would want her to forgive Kaur, 'but that's something I don't feel like doing'.
'But as I know, with forgiveness comes freedom.
'You took a man out of this world whose heart was all about making a difference and trying to help others,' she told Kaur. 'A conviction was inevitable'
Crown solicitor Kasey Dillon said Kaur 'became enraged' after seeing the family photo, and as a result became involved in 'a persistent course of bad driving ... and brake-checking' Mrs R.
She also had accumulated 65 demerit points because of speeding in the past, in one case between 120kmh and 130kmh.
Kaur had told a pre-sentence report writer that she was 'running late for work'.
Kaur's actions had 'irrevocably impacted' the lives of Baker's family, friends and associates.
Dillion urged the judge to take a starting point of five years' jail but not to issue any discounts for remorse, rehabilitation or plea.
'There was no defence to this charge. A conviction was inevitable.' 'She is deeply troubled'
Singh took the opportunity to give Baker's family a bit more context around her client's actions and labelled her as 'deeply troubled'.
'The photo she found on the day of the accident was the inciting incident that led to a psychological collapse.
'Years of mental health decline precipitated the offending, and this has been given clinical context and may explain Ms Kaur's behaviour as something significantly more than rage.'
A clinical psychologist found Kaur's driving occurred during a 'convergence of a chronic psychological deterioration', with the argument before the crash acting as an 'acute stressor'.
The specialist found Kaur reached a 'psychological breaking point'.
Singh accepted with White's comments that Kaur's behaviour made 'no sense at all', but she explained that Mr R had constantly reassured Kaur that he no longer maintained any relationship with his wife.
He had also promised her that once she divorced her husband, he would divorce his wife.
'These assurances led Ms Kaur to believe that Mr R intended to stay with her and for them to have a committed relationship.
'The discovery of the photograph ... shattered these assurances and brought to the forefront years of accumulated anxiety, uncertainty and emotional turmoil that simmered for years.
'It was an eight year-long relationship.'
Singh urged the judge to hand down a home detention sentence.
Judge Tompkins agreed with Dillon's submissions and, after taking a five-year starting point, allowed a 20% discount for her guilty plea, jailing Kaur for four years.
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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Enraged 'mistress' kills innocent motorist while chasing lover's wife
A man's girlfriend became so enraged at seeing him in a recent photo with his family that she waited outside a school for his wife and then followed her in the car. Sharanjit Kaur tried to intimidate the other woman, at one point stopping in the middle of the road and hitting her car windows before following her again at speed. She eventually crashed into an oncoming car, killing an innocent member of the public as she drove on the wrong side of the road. The circumstances of the crash, which claimed Jonathan 'Jono' Baker's life on the morning of June 27 last year, have left his family devastated and angry. In a packed Hamilton District Court room this afternoon, nine family and friends read their heartbreaking statements to Judge Arthur Tompkins. Baker's mother-in-law, Colleen White, said the family could make some sense of an angry wife chasing her husband's mistress, but 'a mistress chasing down his wife over a legitimate family photograph reads like a bad novel'. Kaur's counsel, Anjeet Singh, acknowledged her client was a 'deeply troubled woman' but urged the judge not to send the 40-year-old to prison. 'She was hammering the driver's side window' Kaur and her partner, known only in court proceedings as 'Mr R', had been together for eight years and were living together. However, Mr R was still married to his wife, known as 'Mrs R', who lives with his parents and children. Mrs R was aware of her husband's relationship with Kaur; but he had refused to get divorced and often stayed at the familial home, causing 'ill-feeling' on behalf of Kaur. Several nights before the crash, Mr R took his wife and family to an Indian restaurant at Botany Downs, East Auckland, and took a photograph, with Mrs R's hand on her husband's shoulder, and also showing her wedding ring. About 8.40am on June 27, when at Horsham Downs School for her children's school assembly, Mrs R got a call from Mr R that Kaur had seen the photo and wanted her to say the photo was historic. She wouldn't and instead confirmed it was recent, and then heard Kaur 'shouting angrily' in the background. Kaur stormed off, and Mr R went to work. After the assembly finished, Mrs R began driving home, and as she passed Resolution Drive spotted Kaur's vehicle parked on the roadside. Kaur then pulled out and followed Mrs R on to Henderson Rd and overtook her before pulling in front of her and travelling alongside her. Kaur would slow down then speed up as Mrs R travelled behind her, in what Judge Tompkins found was an attempt to intimidate or scare her. She then drove ahead and stopped her Toyota in the middle of both lanes, forcing Mrs R to also stop. Kaur got out and began 'hammering' her driver's window. Fearing for her safety, Mrs R drove around her on to the grass to get away. Kaur got back in her Toyota and chased her, as Mrs R drove at around 120kmh to try to get away. After turning right on to Boyd Rd, Kaur pulled up alongside Mrs R's vehicle as she travelled at 120kmh. That stretch of road is straight but leads to a steep incline towards the intersection with Williamson Rd. Kaur remained travelling on the wrong side of the road, driving at between 125kmh and 136kmh, and as she reached the crest of the hill, collided with Baker's vehicle, which was coming the other way. Kaur braked, reducing her speed to around 109kmh at the point of impact. Baker suffered a ruptured aorta and was killed instantly. Kaur suffered minor injuries, while Mrs R called emergency services. Sharanjit Kaur was jailed for four years when she appeared in the Hamilton District Court today on a charge of reckless driving causing the death of Jonathan Baker last year. Photo / Belinda Feek 'I cried ... I yelled' Baker, 49, was a respected staff member at the Department of Corrections and worked as a team leader at community probation. On the morning of the crash, he'd just visited a team member who was off work with an injury, and after leaving was going to drop off his vehicle for a service before heading back to work in central Hamilton. Baker's wife, Andrea, described the last time she saw her beloved husband on the morning of the crash; how he'd made her a coffee, said 'I love you', before giving her a cheeky smile and leaving for the day. She then recalled being given the devastating news that he'd been killed in a crash. 'I cried ... I yelled. 'My heart is almost constantly consumed by [his] loss and trying to work out my new normal.' Devout Christians, she knew her husband would want her to forgive Kaur, 'but that's something I don't feel like doing'. 'But as I know, with forgiveness comes freedom. 'You took a man out of this world whose heart was all about making a difference and trying to help others,' she told Kaur. 'A conviction was inevitable' Crown solicitor Kasey Dillon said Kaur 'became enraged' after seeing the family photo, and as a result became involved in 'a persistent course of bad driving ... and brake-checking' Mrs R. She also had accumulated 65 demerit points because of speeding in the past, in one case between 120kmh and 130kmh. Kaur had told a pre-sentence report writer that she was 'running late for work'. Kaur's actions had 'irrevocably impacted' the lives of Baker's family, friends and associates. Dillion urged the judge to take a starting point of five years' jail but not to issue any discounts for remorse, rehabilitation or plea. 'There was no defence to this charge. A conviction was inevitable.' 'She is deeply troubled' Singh took the opportunity to give Baker's family a bit more context around her client's actions and labelled her as 'deeply troubled'. 'The photo she found on the day of the accident was the inciting incident that led to a psychological collapse. 'Years of mental health decline precipitated the offending, and this has been given clinical context and may explain Ms Kaur's behaviour as something significantly more than rage.' A clinical psychologist found Kaur's driving occurred during a 'convergence of a chronic psychological deterioration', with the argument before the crash acting as an 'acute stressor'. The specialist found Kaur reached a 'psychological breaking point'. Singh accepted with White's comments that Kaur's behaviour made 'no sense at all', but she explained that Mr R had constantly reassured Kaur that he no longer maintained any relationship with his wife. He had also promised her that once she divorced her husband, he would divorce his wife. 'These assurances led Ms Kaur to believe that Mr R intended to stay with her and for them to have a committed relationship. 'The discovery of the photograph ... shattered these assurances and brought to the forefront years of accumulated anxiety, uncertainty and emotional turmoil that simmered for years. 'It was an eight year-long relationship.' Singh urged the judge to hand down a home detention sentence. Judge Tompkins agreed with Dillon's submissions and, after taking a five-year starting point, allowed a 20% discount for her guilty plea, jailing Kaur for four years.
Techday NZ
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AI drives 80 percent of phishing with USD $112 million lost in India
Artificial intelligence has become the predominant tool in cybercrime, according to recent research and data from law enforcement and the cybersecurity sector. AI's growing influence A June 2025 report revealed that AI is now utilised in 80 percent of all phishing campaigns analysed this year. This marks a shift from traditional, manually created scams to attacks fuelled by machine-generated deception. Concurrently, Indian police recorded that criminals stole the equivalent of USD $112 million in a single state between January and May 2025, attributing the sharp rise in financial losses to AI-assisted fraudulent operations. These findings are reflected in the daily experiences of security professionals, who observe an increasing use of automation in social engineering, malware development, and reconnaissance. The pace at which cyber attackers are operating is a significant challenge for current defensive strategies. Methods of attack Large language models are now being deployed to analyse public-facing employee data and construct highly personalised phishing messages. These emails replicate a victim's communication style, job role and business context. Additionally, deepfake technology has enabled attackers to create convincing audio and video content. Notably, an incident in Hong Kong this year saw a finance officer send HK $200 million after participating in a deepfake video call bearing the likeness of their chief executive. Generative AI is also powering the development of malware capable of altering its own code and behaviour within hours. This constant mutation enables it to bypass traditional defences like endpoint detection and sandboxing solutions. Another tactic, platform impersonation, was highlighted by Check Point, which identified fake online ads for a popular AI image generator. These ads redirected users to malicious software disguised as legitimate installers, merging advanced loader techniques with sophisticated social engineering. The overall result is a landscape where AI lowers the barriers to entry for cyber criminals while amplifying the reach and accuracy of their attacks. Regulatory landscape Regulators are under pressure to keep pace with the changing threat environment. The European Union's AI Act, described as the first horizontal regulation of its kind, became effective last year. However, significant obligations affecting general-purpose AI systems will begin from August 2025. Industry groups in Brussels have requested a delay on compliance deadlines due to uncertainty over some of the rules, but firms developing or deploying AI will soon be subject to financial penalties for not adhering to the regulations. 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Verification protocols for audio and video content are another priority. Using additional communication channels or biometric checks can help prevent fraudulent transactions initiated by synthetic media. Adopting zero-trust architectures, which strictly limit user privileges and segment networks, is advised to contain potential breaches. Teams managing AI-related projects should map inputs and outputs, track possible abuse cases, and retain detailed logs in order to meet audit obligations under the forthcoming EU regulations. Staff training programmes are also shifting focus. Employees are being taught to recognise subtle cues and nuanced context, rather than relying on spotting poor grammar or spelling mistakes as indicators of phishing attempts. Training simulations must evolve alongside the sophistication of modern cyber attacks. The human factor Despite advancements in technology, experts reiterate that people remain a core part of the defence against AI-driven cybercrime. 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Otago Daily Times
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- Otago Daily Times
Blackmail complaint made to police: Taxi driver left stressed by supposed' prank'
Gurpreet Singh. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON A Dunedin Taxis driver says he was left shivering and in tears after believing he was being "blackmailed" for $10,000 by two fellow drivers. The driver said former Dunedin Taxis director Gurpreet Singh and driver Vishal Vala demanded the payment be made to an Indian bank account in March to alter log books. He claims he was told if he did not make the payment he would be fired. When he complained to Dunedin Taxis chairman Paul Oliver and the police, he was told the incident was just a prank — an explanation which he doubted. The driver, who provided texts and emails to the Otago Daily Times, said he felt forced to withdraw the complaints, but said the ordeal left him scared of Mr Singh, who is still a driver for the company. "I still can't make any sense of this whole incident, that's why was I intimidated," he said in communication supplied to the ODT. "[I felt] threatened, emotionally blackmailed and financially blackmailed. "Tears are rolling down my eyes — I am stressed, I feel betrayed, I am shivering, and I couldn't sleep for the whole night." When approached by the ODT, Mr Singh and Mr Vala stood by their explanation the incident was a prank they regretted. Mr Vala said the prank took place while the pair were drunk. The driver said the incident happened after Mr Singh and Mr Vala befriended him when he first joined Dunedin Taxis, and claims the pair introduced him to their system of getting preference for big-ticket rides. They told him they had an arrangement with a staff member at the Dunedin Taxis call centre to allocate them the more expensive trips that came through the system — which was against the constitution of the company. The driver said he took a few of those rides after believing Mr Singh had set them up for him. On March 14, the driver claims Mr Singh told him that Dunedin Taxis had a record of those rides and they needed to be deleted from the company's system or else he would lose his job. The driver alleges Mr Singh had told him to make a $10,000 deposit into an Auckland-based staff member's Indian account to wipe logbook records. At this point, the driver was scared and refused to take part in the arrangement. The driver complained to Dunedin Taxis chairman Mr Oliver and to the police on the evening of March 14. The following day the driver received an apology from both Mr Singh and Mr Vala. Mr Singh wrote: "I'm really sorry for the prank — I misjudged it and I regret that it didn't come across as harmless fun. Mr Vala wrote: "I never imagined it would affect you that way, especially since we used to be good friends". The driver responded to a separate apology Mr Singh made on WhatsApp by saying he had "lost all respect" for the pair. He highlighted he was "shocked and shivering" after their threats. Mr Singh responded to him by saying "GOOD THOUGHTS FROM CHAT GPT" and "U can f... off". The driver said he ended up in the emergency department at the hospital with high blood pressure The driver said the incident left him feeling unsafe working for Dunedin Taxis, and he was not happy with the response from the company to his complaint. When questioned by the ODT, Mr Singh reiterated the incident was a prank and denied allegations of blackmail and any involvement in a scheme to give drivers preferential treatment for big ticket rides. He said the matter was amicably resolved with the help of two fellow drivers, and the police complaint was withdrawn. Mr Vala also denied the allegations. He said he had been drinking with Mr Singh when they decided to prank call the driver. "We did not know he would take it so seriously." Mr Vala thought the matter had been resolved within the company and said he was told no further action would be taken. Mr Oliver said he told the driver he could not do anything about the complaints against Mr Singh and Mr Vala because the driver had already taken the issue to police. "That was the end of it for me. "Whether there was $10,000 or whatever it was, it's just no longer my problem or concern ... it had nothing to do with taxi operations." He said after the complaint was withdrawn from police he thought the driver and Mr Singh and Mr Vala were friends again, and he did not have to take any further action. He said it was impossible to wipe any logbook records. "Unless they go up to Auckland and break into the place and do a Watergate, that's impossible." He said there were constant complaints some drivers were getting better rides than others, but the system could not be worked improperly.
