A look back at the top court cases of 2024

Article – RNZ

It’s 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 to grab the public’s attention in 2024.

Golriz Ghahraman is appealing his theft conviction

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 filed four theft charges against Ghahraman, including her pleaded guilty to.

Her lawyer asked for her to be released without conviction, but the Crown asked for a prison sentence.

Judge June Jelas sentenced Gharaman in Juneordering her to pay a $1,600 fine and an additional $260 in court costs.

“Ms Ghahraman demonstrated her deep remorse for her crime by apologizing in person to the owner of Scotties Boutique before any charges were laid. Her remorse is also demonstrated by the early payment of full damages to all three affected retail stores,” said Judge Jelas.

“Ms Ghahraman has been proactive in seeking to make amends for her offence.”

Ghahraman’s complex experiences of trauma contributed to Judge Jelas’ decision not to impose a custodial sentence.

Ghahraman later appealed to have his convictions expungedraising concerns about causing problems with relaunching his legal career.

The the appeal was rejected by the High Court in Auckland in October.

In addition to the criminal court cases, this year there were important inquests in the Coroner’s Court.

Mother convicted of killing three daughters

In June, South African woman Lauren Dickason he escaped life imprisonment for killing her three young daughters just weeks after arriving in New Zealand in 2021.

In 2023, a jury found for Dickason guilty of murdering Karla, Maya and Lianédespite the defense arguing that she was not guilty by reason of insanity and placing the case as infanticide.

Various family members spoke at Dickason’s sentencing, including husband Graham, who said he had forgiven Dickason for what she had done to their daughters, but that her actions robbed him of the life he knew and of any joy his future held.

Dickason was eventually sentenced to 18 years in prison with no minimum parole period.

She was to begin her sentence in a mental health hospital under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act.

Shortly after her sentencing, Dickason released a statement saying she loved her daughters but failed them, her husband and their families and took responsibility for taking their lives.

In August, it was reported that he was appealing her conviction for murderand in October, it was announced that it was issued with a deportation notice which would take effect after her release from prison.

Dickason will be eligible to be considered for parole in September 2027.

Philip Polkinghorne is not guilty of murdering his wife

In probably the most significant case of the year, retired Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne was tried 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 battling depression for many years.

The trial delved into the intimate life of the wealthy couple, as well as Polkinghorne’s relationship with a Australian sex worker and methamphetamine use.

Earlier in the trial, Polkinghorne pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of methamphetamine and a pipe. It was later sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

Following the not guilty verdict on the murder charge, Polkinghorne told reporters it was a “huge turning point”.

“This process has taken a massive toll on many of us. But now we can grieve and let Pauline rest in peace. This is the best gift we can give.”

How a Christchurch terrorist’s gun license was screened

The the second stage of the investigation in the deaths of 51 worshipers at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch adjourned, with evidence partially heard, in October.

The inquest, before Coroner Brigitte Windley, examined how the terrorist came to obtain his gun license and firearms licensing laws before the attack.

The court heard that gun officers were dealing with firearms license holders who saw gun ownership as a right rather than a privilege.

It also operated with a loophole that allowed people, including the terrorist, to obtain a standard firearms license and, with it, purchase centerfire semi-automatic rifles that could be equipped with high-capacity magazines.

No license was required for the magazines as they were completely unregulated.

The inquest also heard from the two people who were referees for the terrorist when he applied for his gun license and it was clear they were not happy about being questioned.

One of the arbitrators told a lawyer to “sit down” and refused to answer her question, while the other threatened to walk out because another lawyer was “annoying” him.

During the second referee’s interview with a screening officer, he said the terrorist was a “remarkable young man” and “a nice person”.

The hearing ended with emotional statements from lawyers representing the families of the victims and survivors of the attack, the police and Coroner Windley.

Daughter accused of murdering mother

In October, it was revealed that Julia DeLuney has been charged with murdering her 79-year-old motherHelen Gregory, at her home in Khandallah in Wellington.

Gregory had been found dead in January after suffering 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 his mother into giving her $15,000 before going to Gregory’s home on January 24 and killing her.

The Crown says DeLuney “attacked her with significant and ultimately fatal force.”

Court documents say DeLuney has experienced significant mental health issues since the onset of menopausal symptoms in 2022 and has suffered from poor sleep, panic attacks and persistent low mood.

A the date of the trial was set for June 2025.

Manslaughter verdict for meth beer death

A Fonterra manager who gave an employee a meth-laced beer was found guilty of manslaughter in October.

Aiden Sagala died at Auckland Hospital in March 2023 after drinking from a can of beer he did not know contained high-purity liquid methamphetamine.

The tragic death of Sagala triggered a wider investigation – Operation Lavender – in an alleged operation to import methamphetamine.

The investigation led to numerous serious drug charges and a large quantity of methamphetamine and other drugs recovered from a Manukau address, 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 High Court in Auckland.

Kahlon will be sentenced in February 2025.

Charges after body found in bag

There are three people faces charges after a body in a bag was found floating in Gulf Harbor earlier this year.

The the body was found by fisherman Paul Middleton in Marchinitially thinking it might be a garbage bag.

There was “a bit of clothing … and then there was this hand sticking out.”

At that point he called the police.

It wasn’t until October that police were able to positively identify the body Shulai Wang, 70 years old.

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 the 37-year-old face additional charges of obstruction and providing false immigration information.

They have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Extensive efforts have been made to identify the victim, including officers going to China, Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams said.

Wang had come to New Zealand in August 2023 from China.

“She had no family in New Zealand and had not been reported missing,” Williams said.

Chinese national guilty of killing real estate agent

After less than two hours of deliberation, a jury found Tingjun Cao guilty of the murder of Christchurch estate agent Yanfei Bao.

The child’s mother has gone disappeared in July 2023 after showing Cao a house on Trevor Street in Hornby.

Despite the police arresting Cao early in the investigationat Christchurch Airport with a one-way ticket to Shanghai, Bao’s body was not found until July this year.

Cao’s trial has been delayed by the case interpreters needed and Cao choose to to fire his lawyers and represent himself.

At the end of the trial, Bao’s partner, Paul Gooch, told reporters that the unimaginable circumstances of her death were a heavy burden to bear.

“Dealing with this devastating loss has been an incredibly challenging journey, especially given the complete lack of remorse shown by the person responsible,” Gooch said.

“His actions throughout this trial revealed a profound lack of humanity.”

Disappointment as the Olivia Podmore inquest has been delayed until 2025

The investigation into the alleged suicide of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore was postponed to early Decemberher family saying this only added to the emotional and financial impact of the trial.

The hearing before Coroner Louella Dunn was originally set for three weeks and was due to end, but the coroner announced it would be adjourned until 2025 to allow evidence to continue.

The investigation had shed light on it severe bullying that Podmore experienced and revealed medical professionals warned High Performance Sport NZ in 2018 “We would have an athlete commit suicide” if the environment in Cycling NZ has not been fixed.

Podmore died in August 2021, the day after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, for which she was not selected.

Cycling NZ chief executive Simon Peterson, who took over the organization in February 2023 following a second major inquiry into the sport in three years, apologized to Podmore’s family during the inquest for the “horrific” treatment he endured.

Sign up to Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox. of email every day of the week.

Content from scoop.co.nz
Original URL