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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Dogs that fatally mauled Neville Thomson also allegedly turned on owner Abel Wira
By Shannon Pitman, Open Justice Journalist of Abel Wira is on trial in the High Court at Whangārei, accused of the manslaughter of Neville Thomson. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A pack of dogs that mauled a man to death had a reputation for lunging at visitors, attacking livestock and even allegedly turned on their owner - resulting in him needing a trip to the emergency department. Despite their history, Abel Wira kept at least 21 dogs confined to a caravan on Neville Thomson's property - until the morning they allegedly broke free and fatally mauled the man he called his brother. Now the 61-year-old is on trial in the High Court at Whangārei on charges of manslaughter and owning a dog that caused injury or death. On day two of the trial the jury heard from Wira's friend Daniel Knopp, who said he'd come across the pack at least six times. "They were vicious-looking dogs. " had to wind the window up so they didn't jump in the window 'cause they were bailing up the truck." Knopp said the dogs were often in the caravan fighting with each other and he noticed the door was only secured by a log. "It wasn't that secure, I don't think it was, just leaning up against it, dogs could probably push it open," Knopp said. Knopp also recalled a story Wira had allegedly told of his own dangerous encounter with the dogs. "One time he told me his own dogs attacked him. He was saying it was on the beach and he had to go in the water to try and drown them to get them off him." The jury heard on Monday that Wira had been staying at Thomson's Puketawa Rd property in Panguru in a caravan with his dogs. Neville Thomson was killed by the dogs on his property in Panguru. (File photo) Photo: Supplied At least six of the dogs were adults and the rest were at varying stages of puppy life. On August 4, 2022, Wira went out to retrieve a car he had crashed weeks beforehand and then went to Broadwood to pick up items, including dog food. Thomson was home alone and on the phone to his partner when the pack of dogs, which were allegedly barricaded in the caravan, got out and mauled him to death. Wira arrived home to discover Thomson's body, which he dragged into the house and covered with a blanket before sending a friend a Facebook message. "I need help bro please my dogs have attacked my bro and hes gone please bro," he said. He then locked the dogs in a truck, closed the gate and drove Thomson's truck an hour away to Ahipara, where he was able to wave down police officers. Emergency services arrived on the scene more than three hours after the incident and pronounced Thomson dead. Thomson's partner Shirley Orchard gave evidence about their 17-year relationship, which was mostly long-distance. Orchard lived in Auckland and would speak to Thomson on the phone every morning when he had his morning coffee. She said on that morning, about 10am, he was chatting about his garden and she could hear that he was outside. With her knowledge of the property, she believes Thomson was walking along the gravel towards the back of the house and the dogs, which were locked in the caravan, caught sight of him. "They started off barking, as soon as he walked into sight of the caravan, they thought he was a stranger because he had shaved off his beard," Orchard said in evidence. "The barking all started up and got louder and that was when I heard him shout out 'get out, get the f*** out' then the noise escalated from the dogs and I never heard not another sound out of him." During cross-examination, defence lawyer Connor Taylor suggested to Orchard that Thomson himself may have released the dogs from the caravan. "I'm not a stupid woman, as soon as he walked into sight of those dogs they busted out of the caravan and attacked him," Orchard responded. "You're just guessing, aren't you?" Connor questioned. "The evidence is he was attacked by dogs, whether he was by the fish pond or I'm making it all up the fact was, he was out in the garden and he was hurt by dogs," Orchard said. Orchard then gave evidence she spent the next hour trying to contact Thomson and asked a neighbour, Lucy Burkhardt, to check on his house. When Burkhardt texted her saying the gate was closed, Thomson felt a slight relief as it was his normal habit to close the gate if he had left the property. "That's a good sign, he's out and not lying in a pool of blood maybe he's in Rawene getting stitched up," she texted back to Burkhardt. Orchard assumed Thomson was okay but made a call to 111 as a safety check. The call was played to the jury. "The dogs are going off for quite a while and I couldn't hear him then the dogs have settled down. "Those dogs have actually attacked me and I know they haven't been fed for two days. I thought 'my God have they attacked him?' I've got no way of knowing," Orchard told the operator. When asked what kind of dogs they were, Orchard responded "mongrels". Burkhart gave evidence the dogs had mauled her pig's ears on one occasion. The trial continues before Justice Andrew Becroft. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Abel Wira on trial for manslaughter after dogs kill landlord Neville Thomson
By Shannon Pitman, Open Justice Journalist of Abel Wira is accused of the manslaughter of Neville Thomson who was mauled by dogs in Panguru. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A concerned woman listened over the phone as her partner shouted at a pack of growling dogs - then the line went silent. Shirley Orchard then sent Neville Thomson a message, desperate to know what was happening. "I hear a pack of mutts going off and you disappear, you have left me here wondering if you have been mauled, let me guess. Are you out of it just forgot me or bleeding to death?" she said in her text message. She never got a reply. Three hours later, it was confirmed Thomson had been mauled to death by 23 dogs belonging to his boarder. Abel Wira, 61, is now on trial at the High Court at Whangārei on charges of manslaughter and owning a dog that caused injury or death to the man he called a brother. Crown lawyer Danica Soich opened the case to the jury on Monday, outlining the details of what happened at Thomson's property in Panguru on August 4, 2022. Neville Thomson died from blood loss in August 2022. Photo: Supplied The court heard on Monday that Wira had been living in a caravan at Thomson's 2ha property with his dogs. Soich said Wira was known to often lock his dogs in a truck or barricade them in his caravan with a block of wood. A few weeks earlier, Wira had crashed his vehicle into a paddock. On the day Thomson died he organised for a neighbour to help pull the vehicle out. Wira left the property, leaving Thomson at home to look after his dogs. The court heard the dogs had a history of aggression, rushing at neighbours, attacking local cattle and even Wira had previously needed medical attention for dog bites. About 9.56am, Thomson was on the phone with his partner and told her the dogs had not been fed in two days. He said he had offered Wira his truck to go and get dog food but this had been declined. Over the phone, Orchard heard dogs growling and barking and Thomson saying "get out of here you f***ing dogs". Thomson reportedly moved away from the phone and for the next 10 minutes she listened to growling, barking, shouting and then silence. "Mr Thomson does not come back to the call," Soich told the jury. Orchard made several attempts to call back and texted her partner, confused by what had just happened. Meanwhile, Wira had travelled to Broadwood to pick up dog biscuits and other items and returned to the Panguru property around 11am. At 11.30am, the Crown said he sent a private Facebook message to his friend. "I need help bro please my dogs have attacked my bro and he's gone please bro." The court heard Wira was sighted leaving Panguru about 1pm and not long after he waved down police in Ahipara. "Wira told police Neville Thomson was dead and had been eaten by dogs," Soich told jurors. "He explained it had been two hours since he found Mr Thomson and he was driving to Kaitāia police station as he did not have a phone." Throughout this time, Orchard was texting neighbours to check on Thomson and requested a police welfare check at 1.33pm. "Sure enough, when they arrived they saw the defendant's dogs locked in a [Toyota] Hilux. The dogs were behaving aggressively and trying to get out," Soich said. "There were muddy drag marks leading from the front porch to the kitchen. "They found his body lying in the kitchen wrapped up in a blanket. Neville Thomson showed no signs of life." The dogs had blood on their fur and were reportedly locked in a truck, barking, attacking each other and almost breaking windows. Thomson died at the scene from blood loss. Six adults and 17 puppies were found at the property. Two had to be shot on site because of their aggressive behaviour. When Wira was interviewed he said it was normal practice to lock his dogs in a caravan using a white shoelace and a log of wood across the door. It is the Crown's case that regardless of whether Wira was present or not, his departure from providing a reasonable standard of care for the dogs led to Thomson's death. "Mr Wira's dogs were clearly dangerous," Soich said. "You'll be asked to bring your knowledge of human and canine behaviour. For everything he knew about these dogs - a log placed against a caravan door, was a major failure." Defence lawyer Connor Taylor acknowledged Thomson's death was horrific, but a terrible accident. "Can it be proven that it was culpable homicide?" Taylor put to the jury. "It's not the situation you would often read about. "What happened that day, how they got out, or why they got out, we will never know. "What we do know is this. It was tragic, it was unforeseeable but it does not make Mr Wira guilty of his murder." The trial is expected to last two weeks before Justice Andrew Becroft. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
