Whanau seek answers in Levin death
crime police 7:44 am today
The whanau of a Levin man who died in February at a beach near the lower North Island town believe one woman knows more about what happened to him than she's letting on. Police say the death of 34-year-old Michael Joseph Tamatea, whose body was found in a pond at Hokio Beach, was not suspicious. Lauren Crimp has more.
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Rosey Heurea jailed for stealing more than $12k in goods during Hamilton crime spree
By Catherine Hutton, Open Justice reporter of Photo: Rawpixel Ltd A brazen shoplifter embarked on a lengthy crime spree that involved her carrying a small child while stealing clothing, threatening to stab those who tried to stop her, and striking a worker. Rosey Heurea was already on bail when she was caught shoplifting 19 times last year, helping herself to more than $12k in stolen goods. This week, the 24-year-old appeared in the Wellington District Court via audio-visual link from prison custody. She was sentenced on 30 charges, including 22 of theft, with 10 of those thefts being worth more than $1000, and six of aggravated assault. She also faced one count each of possession of an offensive weapon and a breach of intensive supervision. Heurea wore a grey prison-issue tracksuit and kept her head down during the hearing. The court heard that between June and November last year, she took groceries, beauty products and clothing from Hamilton stores, including Rebel Sport, the Warehouse, the Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths and Countdown supermarkets. At times, she acted alone or with the help of others. Judge Tania Warburton noted the getaway cars weren't registered in Heurea's name and on several occasions, black tape was used to cover the registration plates. On six occasions, the shoplifting escalated to violence, including once when Heurea and a co-defendant tried to leave the Chemist Warehouse, each carrying a basket of goods they hadn't paid for. As staff attempted to stop them, Heurea struck one staff member before trying to rip the basket from the hands of another staffer. The baskets were eventually retrieved and the pair was escorted from the store. At other times, Heurea stole clothing from Rebel Sport, telling staff "I will kill you all" and threatening to stab those who challenged her. At one point, Heurea and a co-defendant taunted staff, telling them, "you couldn't get us". Staff, aware of Heurea's threats and fearing for their safety, let her leave with the stolen clothing. On 18 November Heurea walked into a Rebel Sport store carrying a child. After being asked to leave, she walked out of the store carrying a large quantity of clothing. Still holding the child's hand, Heurea walked to the carpark and told a staff member she would stab them if they followed her any further. Later that day, Heurea returned to the same store and was recognised. After picking up clothing, she was asked to leave but told the person "f*** off, get away, don't touch me". When told police were looking for her, Heurea responded: "She'd better make it worth it". At her sentencing, Judge Warburton said the aggravating factors included the alleged threats to staff, the violence, that she'd involved a child in her offending and the volume of stolen property. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller Adopting a starting point of 26 months jail, the judge added an uplift for the number of charges, the assault and the possession of a knife. That gave a total starting point of 31 months jail. Turning to Heurea's personal circumstances, the judge noted that Heurea committed some of the offences while on bail. She also had four previous convictions for assault and 12 convictions for dishonesty. Heurea, who was from a supportive family, had begun a relationship with a destructive and volatile gang member when she was young, the judge said. "Most of your negative associates are linked to that gang." However, Heurea said she had ended the relationship and told a probation officer she regretted the offending. Heurea's lawyer Gerard Walsh sought a short sentence of imprisonment. "We're not saying it's not jail today - it is," he said, adding that his client planned to move from Waikato to Nelson when released to live with her grandmother. Given that Heurea would be on a benefit once released from jail, Walsh suggested reparations of about $3000, acknowledging that some people would find that offensive. The judge said imposing the full reparation would cause Heurea undue hardship. She ordered $2200 in reparations, with varying amounts to be paid to the five chain stores. Heurea was jailed for 21 months. While that made her eligible for a community-based sentence, Heurea said she'd rather finish her time in custody, where she's spent the past eight months. Upon her release, she would be banned from using alcohol or drugs and would be subjected to regular testing, the judge said. *This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
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Man arrested, six injured, following Waikato burnout confrontation
Photo: Waikato police arrested and charged a 22-year-old man after a fight in Tahuna on Wednesday night left six people injured. Around 7.20pm police said they were alerted to a group fighting on Tahuna-Ohinewai Road after a person was assaulted when they confronted three men in a vehicle doing burnouts. Other members of the public tried to intervene, leaving six people injured, said Detective Sergeant Ben Norman. "After noticing the incident unfolding, an occupant of a nearby property has attempted to intervene. However, they were also assaulted by the alleged offenders." "Two people received serious injuries, and one other received minor injuries, they were transported to hospital. Three others received minor injuries," he said. Two of the offenders fled the scene on foot and one left in a stolen vehicle. A short time later, a 22-year-old man was found by officers and taken into custody. He was due to appear in the Hamilton District Court today charged with aggravated robbery and injures with intent to injure. "Police are following multiple lines of enquiry to identify and locate the remaining two offenders and encourage them to do the right thing and hand themselves in," Norman said. He said members of the community might see an increased police presence in the area. "While police would like to thank those who tried to intervene and assist other members of the public, police urge the public not to take matters into their own hands or confront individuals themselves as situations can escalate quickly." "Instead, stay in a safe location, gather as much information as you safely can, and contact police on 111." Police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact police [ online] or call 105. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Husband of Oranga Tamariki employee gets home detention for role in defrauding agency of more than $2m
Amandeep Sharma in court in May. Photo: RNZ / Tim Brown The husband of a former Oranga Tamariki employee who helped his wife defraud the agency of more than $2 million has been sentenced to 12 months' home detention. Amandeep Sharma pleaded guilty to obtaining by deception and money laundering in May after he and his wife Neha Sharma kept their marriage secret and funnelled public money through his construction company Divine Connection Ltd. Neha Sharma, who was jailed for three years in May, kept the conflict of interest concealed as she approved the company's invoices, got him jobs that could have been carried out by other companies and even carried out work for the company during office hours. Less than two weeks after the Serious Fraud Office knocked on their front door, the couple booked two one-way business class to India, after transferring just under $800,000 overseas. Justice Eaton said he seriously considered jailing Sharma but sentenced him to home detention in order for him to seek rehabilitation and support his daughter. "The attitude you have displayed is worrying. It is indicative of a lack of accountability and does in my view display a degree of entitlement, perhaps arrogance," he said. Serious Fraud Office (SFO) director Karen Chang said Sharma and his wife took advantage of her position of trust for their own financial gain. "It is critical that we disrupt behaviour of this kind, which damages the integrity of our public institutions and threatens our reputation as a safe place to invest and do business," she said. "Corrupt behaviour by public servants is a key focus for the SFO, and we are currently advancing initiatives that will strengthen the New Zealand public sector's overall resilience to fraud and corruption." The SFO filed charges against the couple in 2023 alleging Neha Sharma had provided false references to secure her role at Oranga Tamariki where she managed aspects of properties in the Canterbury region, including maintenance, upkeep, and modifications. Neha Sharma set up her husband's company as a contractor without declaring a conflict of interest and then assigned work to this company over others suppliers, at a cost of $2.1 million to Oranga Tamariki. She then applied for a role at the transport agency, for which she also provided a false reference. The SFO said police seized the funds the couple had transferred. It said proceedings to return them to New Zealand were underway, while the High Court had issued a restraining order over the couple's properties in New Zealand. Chang thanked the police and Indian authorities for their swift action and the co-operation of Oranga Tamariki and the transport agency in the investigation.
