Article – RNZ
RNZOnline
It has been another busy year for New Zealand’s courts, with a number of high-profile cases.
Here’s a look back at some of the biggest ones that captured the public’s attention in 2024.
Golriz Ghahraman appeals for shoplifting
It’s been a tumultuous year for former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman after she was caught stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing from boutiques in Auckland and Wellington.
Police have filed four charges of shoplifting against Ghahraman, of which she has pleaded guilty.
Her lawyer requested a discharge without conviction, but the Crown sought a prison sentence.
Judge June Jelas convicted Gharaman in Juneordering her to pay a $1,600 fine and an additional $260 in court costs.
“Ms Ghahraman has expressed deep remorse for her offending by personally apologizing to the owner of the Scotties Boutique store before charges were laid. Her remorse is also reflected in the early payment of full compensation to all three affected stores,” Judge Jelas said.
“Ms Ghahraman has been proactive in seeking to make amends for her transgression.”
Ghahraman’s complex trauma experiences contributed to Judge Jelas’ decision not to impose a custodial sentence.
Ghahraman later has appealed to have her convictions quashedraising concerns that this will cause problems in reviving her legal career.
The appeal was rejected by the High Court in Auckland in October.
In addition to criminal cases, high-profile investigations also took place at the Coroner’s Office this year.
Mother convicted of murdering three daughters
In June, South African woman Lauren Dickason escaped a life sentence for murdering her three young daughters just weeks after arriving in New Zealand in 2021.
In 2023, a jury found Dickason guilty of the murder of Karla, Maya and Lianédespite the defense claiming she was not guilty by reason of insanity and classified the case as infanticide.
Several family members spoke at Dickason’s sentencing, including husband Graham, who said he had forgiven Dickason for what she did to their daughters, but that her actions had robbed him of the life he knew and all the joy his future held had.
Dickason was ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison, with no minimum non-parole.
She would begin her sentence in a psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act.
Shortly after her sentence was handed down, Dickason released a statement saying she loved her daughters but had abandoned them, her husband and their families, and had taken responsibility for taking their lives.
It was reported in August that she was appealed her murder convictionand in October it was announced that she had been with an eviction notice that would take effect upon her release from prison.
Dickason will be eligible for parole in September 2027.
Philip Polkinghorne not guilty of murdering woman
Perhaps the most high-profile case of the year, retired Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne went on trial for the murder of his wife. Pauline Hanna.
He was, after all found not guilty by jurywith the defense arguing that Hanna took her own life in April 2021 after struggling with depression for years.
The trial delved deeper into the wealthy couple’s intimate lives, as well as Polkinghorne’s relationship with a Australian sex worker And methamphetamine use.
At the start of the trial, Polkinghorne pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing methamphetamine and a pipe. He was later sentenced to 150 hours of community service.
Following the not guilty verdict on this murder charge, Polkinghorne told reporters it was a “huge turning point.”
“This process has taken a huge toll on many of us. But now we can grieve and let Pauline rest in peace. That is the best gift we can give her.”
How the Christchurch terrorist got a gun license investigated
The second phase of the research into the deaths of 51 worshipers at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch adjourned in October, with evidence partially heard.
The inquest, before coroner Brigitte Windley, examined how the terrorist obtained his firearms license and the laws surrounding firearms licensing prior to the attack.
The court heard that weapons officers were dealing with firearms license holders who saw gun ownership as a right rather than a privilege.
It also operated under a gaping loophole that allowed people, including the terrorist, to obtain a standard firearms license and thereby purchase semi-automatic centerfire rifles that could be fitted with high-capacity magazines.
The magazines did not require a license because they were completely unregulated.
The inquest also heard from the two people who were referees for the terrorist at the time he applied for his gun licence, and it was understood they were. not happy about being questioned.
One of the referees told a lawyer to “sit down” and refused to answer her question, while the other threatened to walk out because another lawyer was “irritating” him.
During the referee’s second interview with a control officer, he said that the terrorist was a “good, excellent young man” and a “nice person”.
The hearing ended with moving statements from the lawyers representing the families of the victims and survivors of the attack, the police and coroner Windley.
Daughter accused of murdering mother
This was announced in October Julia DeLuney was charged with the murder of her 79-year-old motherHelen Gregory, at her home in Khandallah, Wellington.
Gregory was found dead in January after suffering from what police described as a… “violent act”.
In July, DeLuney pleaded not guilty to murder and obtaining thousands of dollars by deception.
The Crown alleges DeLuney tricked her mother into giving her $15,000 before going to Gregory’s home on Jan. 24 and killing her.
The Crown says DeLuney “assaulted her with significant and ultimately fatal force.”
Court documents show that DeLuney has struggled with significant mental health issues since the onset of menopausal symptoms in 2022, suffering from poor sleep, panic attacks and persistent low mood.
A trial date is set for June 2025.
Manslaughter for meth beer death
A Fonterra manager who gave an employee a beer containing methamphetamine was was found guilty of manslaughter in October.
Aiden Sagala died in Auckland Hospital in March 2023 after drinking from a beer can that he did not know contained high-purity liquid methamphetamine.
Tragic death of Sagala led to a broader investigation – Operation Lavender – into an alleged methamphetamine import operation.
The investigation involved numerous serious drug charges and the recovery of a large quantity of methamphetamine and other drugs at an address in Manukau, police said in July 2023, when a manslaughter charge was laid.
On October 25, Himatjit “Jimmy” Kahlon was found guilty of manslaughter and serious drug charges in the Auckland High Court.
Kahlon will be sentenced in February 2025.
Charges after body found in bag
That’s three people facing charges after a body was found floating in a bag in Gulf Harbor earlier this year.
The body was found in March by fisherman Paul Middletoninitially thinking it might have been a bag of trash.
There was “a scrap of clothing…and then a hand reached out.”
That’s when he called the police.
It was not until October that the police were able to identify the body with certainty The 70-year-old Chinese woman Shulai Wang.
Three people have been charged with manslaughter and kidnapping: a 36-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman and a 61-year-old woman.
The 36-year-old and 37-year-old face additional charges related to obstruction and providing false immigration information.
They have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Extensive work has been carried out to identify the victim, including officers going to China, Acting Inspector Tim Williams said.
Wang had come to New Zealand from China in August 2023.
“She had no family in New Zealand and had not been reported missing,” Williams said.
Chinese national guilty of murder of real estate agent
After less than two hours of deliberation, a jury ruled Tingjun Cao guilty of the murder of Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao.
The mother of one went missing in July 2023 after showing Cao a house in Hornby’s Trevor Street.
Despite police Arrest Cao early in the investigationat Christchurch Airport with a one-way ticket to Shanghai, Bao’s body was only found in July this year.
Cao’s process experienced delays due to the need for interpreters and Cao chooses it fires his lawyers and represents himself.
At the end of the trial, Bao’s partner Paul Gooch told reporters that the unimaginable circumstances of her death had been a heavy burden to bear.
“Coping with this devastating loss has been an incredibly challenging journey, especially given the complete lack of remorse from the person responsible,” Gooch said.
“His actions during this trial have highlighted a profound absence of humanity.”
Disappointment when Olivia Podmore’s inquest was postponed until 2025
The inquest into the suspected suicide of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore was postponed in early Decemberwith her family saying it only added to the emotional and financial toll of the process.
The hearing before coroner Louella Dunn was originally scheduled for three weeks and was due to conclude, but the coroner announced it would be postponed until 2025 to allow for continued evidence.
The judicial investigation had shed light on the matter serious bullying that Podmore had experienced and revealed that medical professionals had warned High Performance Sport NZ in 2018 “we would let an athlete commit suicide” if the environment in Cycling NZ was not fixed.
Podmore died in August 2021, the day after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, for which she was not selected.
Cycling NZ CEO Simon Peterson, who took the helm of the organization in February 2023 in the wake of a second major investigation into the sport in three years, apologized to Podmore’s family during the inquest into the sport. “terrible” treatment she received.
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Content sourced from scoop.co.nz
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