New Lynn stabbing attack survivors give evidence at inquest
Samsudeen stabbed five people and injured two others at New Lynn Countdown nearly four years ago, when the city was in lockdown. Two survivors, considered heroes, described to the coroner how they tried to stop him stabbing others before police arrived. Amy Williams was at the inquest and filed this report. A warning, her report contains distressing details.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Christchurch Hospital clinical director John O'Donnell retires after 42 years
Christchurch clinical director of immunology/immunopathology John O'Donnell in his lab. Photo: Supplied/Te Whatu Ora After 42 years working at Christchurch Hospital, John O'Donnell says it still feels like he just started yesterday. O'Donnell retired on Friday, 6 June, as clinical director of immunology/immunopathology. He started his time at Christchurch Hospital in 1977, as a medical student, moving up from Dunedin. After three years, he left for Waikato and was then based in a couple of other spots, including two years back in Christchurch, but by 1989, he was back as a consultant and he has remained ever since. O'Donnell has seen many changes in his time there, with the most notable being the complete change in the hospital buildings and the huge advances in computing technology. "When I started, there was no internet and there have been huge advances in computing technology," he said. "Email didn't exist, so communication is much more rapid, with cell phones and things like that. When we were on call, people used to carry around these bricks of a phone. I inherited one of those bricks to carry around." He said in laboratories, the automating of testing had also been a big change, although less so in his specialty area of immunology, where some testing still needed to be done manually. "You still get the scientist standing at a bench and pipetting things." He said there were also big changes in the understanding of the immune system. "Increasingly, it is recognised that many diseases we deal with are an aberration of the immune response. Certain diseases, like encephalitis or certain muscle diseases, it's the immune system attacking those organs to produce some quite bizarre changes in those organs, which we never thought of as being part of us, in terms of our immune system, going haywire. "We often saw them as perhaps a virus or some other thing, but often, it turns out it is the immune system attacking things." In Christchurch, he said there was an interest in muscle diseases and particularly those triggered by statin use. "Its a very rare complication, but it is one of the interests we have locally, testing for that sort of disorder called auto-immune myositis - an auto immune muscle inflammation. We have done some work and publications in that area." He still found the area fascinating and was amazed how quickly his time in the job had gone by. "I could have started yesterday." As he departed after more than 40 years, O'Donnell said the health system was going through its third major shake-up. "Health is always under strain," he said. "It's inevitable it will change. I don't think it's particularly helpful people yelling and posturing. Everybody knows there is a strain and we have to work together to come up with a system that works, without extracting things from other people all the time. "We have to work together and realise what the limitations are, and be realistic about what we can deliver, without crashing the system entirely." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Carrington Resort trial: Former manager defends actions in court
By Shannon Pitman, Open Justice reporter of Belle Mumby (inset) defended forgery charges related to her time working at Carrington Resort. Photo: Supplied / NZME / Open Justice A judge-alone trial against a former manager of a luxury resort accused of fraudulent behaviour has wrapped up but not before she had her say, painting a picture of mounting workloads and rightful entitlements. "I could foresee it would get worse," Belle Mumby said, defending the long hours she claims were justified, despite the resort's insistence otherwise. The former Carrington Resort operations manager has spent the past two weeks facing charges of theft, deception, and forgery in a judge-alone trial in the Whangārei District Court. The Crown alleges Mumby photocopied CEO Jing Ma's signature on an overtime form and claimed payments she wasn't entitled to. She is also accused of using the company account for personal purchases and selling resort-owned equipment - a trailer and post rammer - for $3000 and keeping the proceeds. Mumby maintains Ma approved the photocopied overtime document because she was often unavailable to sign off. She also claims the purchases were for the resort and argues the equipment was unusable, with Ma allegedly pocketing some of the funds. The prosecution's key witness, Ma, faced five days of cross-examination by defence lawyer Wayne McKean. She repeatedly asserted Mumby had stolen from the resort and that none of the overtime claims, purchases, or equipment sales were authorised. Before Mumby took the stand on Tuesday, the resort's payroll clerk, Wendy Weng, said all the overtime forms needed approval with a higher authority signature. Weng was presented an email from Mumby which stated Ma was happy for her to sign off her leave forms from now on. Weng also assumed this included overtime as well. "I saw Jing was included in this email so I assumed Jing was in agreement and she didn't reply otherwise," Weng said. Mumby, taking the stand on Tuesday, said she foresaw her overtime hours increasing as summer approached and waiting for the CEO to sign off was impossible as she was never there. Belle Mumby said she was authorised to do the overtime and purchase items. Photo: Supplied / NZME / Open Justice She claimed Ma suggested signing blank forms that she could later photocopy and complete based on hours worked. "She indicated to me she would come less and less in the future so I [asked] her 'So what happens to my overtime?' I need the verification'," Mumby said. "She suggest[ed] no need to worry about that, she would sign on the blank form and I would go to photocopy it and fill out whatever hours I did, then I can claim it." Mumby said she followed the procedure she was told to do. Regarding the alleged unlawful purchases such as AirPods, iPads, a phone, security cameras and Oral B electric toothbrushes, Mumby insisted they were for the resort or for her job productivity. Ma had previously given evidence that the post rammer and trailer that Mumby allegedly sold were valued at $100,000. But Mumby said both the items were sitting with a pile of rusted machinery, were of no use and sold for $3000. During cross-examination by Crown lawyer Danica Soich, it was suggested to her that clients would never use Oral B electric toothbrushes that may have been previously used by others. Soich pointed out that several items purchased on the resort's account were found at Mumby's house or in her car, including an unopened security system. "There was never a plan to return those items, was there?" Soich asked. "No, I was going to bring them back after sorting myself out from Hong Kong," Mumby replied. "You felt entitled to more than what you were receiving from Carrington?" Soich pressed. "No, I'm happy," Mumby responded. "You bought those items for yourself," Soich alleged. "No, that is wrong," Mumby countered. Mumby said that upon her return from her trip to Hong Kong, she was brought into Ma's office, fired and promised a discussion that never happened. The trial closed on Thursday and Judge Taryn Bayley has reserved her decision. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
SH1 through Desert Road briefly closed after fatal crash
The Desert Road. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham A person has died in a crash on the Desert Road in the central North Island. Police say two vehicles collided near Oturere Stream shortly after 1pm on Saturday. State Highway 1 between Rangipo and Waiouri was closed temporarily, traffic being diverted via State Highways 49, 4, 47 and 46. It has since reopened. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
