6 A selection of some local breaking stories featured this week on... Read these stories in full at www.sunlive.co.nz
Community mourn Kenyan tragedy
The Tauranga community is in shock this week after three members of the Bethlehem community died in a bus crash in Kenya. Doctor Brian and his wife Grace Johnston and ex-Bethlehem College student Caitlin Dickson, 19, were killed when the mini-van they were in crashed into a ditch in wet weather on a Kenyan highway on Tuesday. The three were part of a 19-strong contingent of 12 students and seven adults from Bethlehem College who were on a volunteer trip to Kenya working with the Ark Quest School near the Uganda border. The tragedy happened while the group travelling in a mini-van and car were returning to the in the village of Mahanga in Kenya’s western province, about 400km north-west of Nairobi. The mini-van lost control in wet weather and rolled into a ditch. The driver, a Kenyan man involved with the mission, also died in the crash. Brian, an anaesthetist at Whakatane and Tauranga Hospital, and his wife Grace leave behind a family of 10 children.
Waihi murder accused denied bail
The 18-year-old accused of murdering Murray Wilkinson at Waihi Beach early on New Year’s Day will stay behind bars until his next court appearance in March. At a bail hearing in Tauranga District Court on Wednesday the accused lawyer’s Paul Mabey QC sought bail for the accused, who is charged with murder. Judge Robert Wolff declined bail and remanded the accused in custody. The Waihi man, who has name suppression, is next due to appear in Hamilton District Court for a post-committal conference on March 8.
Fire engulfs Brookfield home
A Brookfield home was engulfed in flames this week destroying the majority of the two storey house. Firefighters arrived at the property on Te Koari Drive just after 1pm on Wednesday where flames were coming from the windows. Three fire trucks and 12 personnel worked to put out the fire, which is believed to have started in the kitchen. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters searched for hot spots in the house before cleaning the water from the upper level of the home. The owner arrived home and was visibly shaken by the sight.
Beached vehicle owners sought
Police are still looking for the owners of the abandoned vehicle left battered by the high tide near the Kaituna River mouth east of Papamoa. The car was seen being driven down the end of Papamoa Beach between Karewa Parade and Kaituna Cut by local residents on Sunday afternoon. Papamoa Police were also called to Harrison’s Cut on Monday where a second car was found abandoned in the sand. Police believe the vehicle is stolen and had been driven onto the beach by the assailants before being abandoned.
The Weekend Sun
40 years on the beat A neighbour helped senior constable Alan Marks decide to become a police officer. Alan is part of the Tauranga forensic photography section and has been on the force 40 years in January. “I was looking for a secure occupation and had lived next door to a police officer as a child; this may have influenced my decision,” he says. “Also, my father and grandparents were public servants, not police, so the government sector was a good place for me to look for a job.” Alan has worked in the Western Bay of Plenty as a police officer since October 1988. “I trained in Trentham and was stationed at Wanganui, the officer in charge of Ohakune, officer in charge of Bay View, and then I was the officer in charge of Chatham Island, before coming to Tauranga.” Alan trained in forensic photography in 1994 and moved to the area full-time in 97.
Thieves target Warehouse
Senior Constable Alan Marks. One of his best memories from his time in the police force is the three years he spent in the Chatham Islands. “I was virtually the government agent and had many other official duties.” However, Alan says he has bad memories to go with the good. “There were many times that were dangerous. I twice faced a loaded firearm and was once attacked with a broken bottle. “I was also attacked with a screwdriver after a burglar had been cornered.”
Alan says other bad times also include attending serious incidents, including many accidents and two homicides, in the country areas where he knew the victims and their families. “Although being close allowed me to give them a shoulder to lean on, which was satisfying.” He says in his spare time he likes to go tramping. He also likes spending time with his wife Heather, his three children and five grandchildren. By Letitia Atkinson
Burglary on rise The number of burglaries reported to Western Bay of Plenty Police increased in the month of November.
A well organised group is believed to have stolen a large quantity of high end consumer electronics from The According to figures on the police.govt.nz website, the Warehouse at Fraser Cove this week. number of burglaries recorded by police in November Large numbers of iPods, iPads, cameras, Playstations and accessories were taken in the burglary by thieves who broke in through a side door before dawn on Monday morning. Tauranga Police acting detective sergeant Lou Curragh says those behind the theft knew what they were doing. “This certainly wouldn’t be their first, I would suggest.” Police are appealing to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity or people parked up or hanging around Fraser Cover Warehouse in the days before the burglary. The burglary took place about 5am – a time The Weekend Sun understands is after shelves are restocked overnight, and before dayshift starts at 7am. Lou would not comment on any link between the Warehouse burglary and the burglary of the Warehouse Stationery on November 28 – where a large quantity of mainly high end smartphones was stolen.
2012 was 173. This is an increased compared to November 2011, when 129 incidents were recorded. These figures are provisional and drawn from a dynamic operational database. They are subject to change as new information is recorded. Police say unlike robbery, burglary doesn’t necessarily involve violence or threat of violence. It involves entering an enclosed space with the intention of committing an offence. Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander, inspector Clifford Paxton says 63 per cent of properties broken into in the region are insecure. “Police want to continue to reduce crime in the Western Bay of Plenty. To do this we need the residents of the Western Bay of Plenty to help. “Thieves are opportunist and will take the easy option, so if your window is open or door unlocked it is an easier target for the thief then the secure property next door.” People are being asked to lock their windows and doors when leaving home or if out in the garden for an extended period. “If you need to leave windows open, put security stays on the windows. By Letitia Atkinson
The number of burglaries reported to police increased in November 2012.