Third person charged after Te Teko death

Te Teko woman Katarina Martin-Tihi appeared in Whakatāne District Court this week on charges of assault against two children in a four-month period.

One of the alleged victims, eight-year-old Rickah'Shae Keefe Haerewa, died last month in circumstances that led to a murder charge being laid against another woman.

Martin-Tihi, 23, entered no plea to either assault charge when she appeared before Judge Louis Bidois on Wednesday.

She was remanded on bail until the new year on conditions including not to be alone with children younger than 14 and not to associate with a list of named people.

Two other women, Maya Hati, 25, and Pauline Timu,61, have been remanded in custody to Tauranga High Court on charges of murder and manslaughter in relation to Rickah'Shae's death.

Hati is charged with murder following an initial charge of assaulting a child. Timu faces a charge of manslaughter.

Hati’s lawyer, Caitlin Gentleman, indicated, during a High Court appearance on Tuesday that her client would not pursue a bail application at this stage. Both women are expected to return to the High Court in February.

No name suppression was sought for Martin-Tihi.

Teacher denies indecent assaults

An Eastern Bay primary school teacher denies multiple charges of indecent assault and has elected trial by jury.

The man, who has name suppression, is accused of indecently assaulting girls younger than 12 across 2022 and 2023. He was initially charged with three counts of indecent assault and six more were laid later.

The man also faces charges of exposing two different girls to indecent material on social media apps Instagram and Snapchat.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was remanded on bail to reappear in February for a case review hearing.

More time required for instruction

Whakatāne woman Ngamare Hine Kaa Dante Maaka is facing Christmas in custody after a failed bail application this week.

Maaka has been charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, assault with a blunt instrument, driving dangerously, assaulting police, resisting police, threatening to kill, refusing an officer’s request for blood and possessing an offensive weapon.

She first appeared on the charges at the end of October but has not yet entered pleas to any charges.

Defence lawyer Paul Devoy said he had been unable to take detailed instructions from the defendant about how she wished to plead, and he needed more time.

Maaka was remanded in custody to mid-January.

Judge Bidois declined a verbal bail application presented on Wednesday and said if a suitable bail address was found and checked, a formal application could be brought before the next scheduled date.

No plea yet

Ryan Anaru Ram has been remanded in custody until the new year to enter pleas on multiple charges.

Ram has been accused of escaping police custody, wounding with intent to injure, intentional damage and threatening to kill.

Jury trial elected

Douglas Brian Tarei denied four charges this week and elected trial by jury.

The appearance on Wednesday was intended to be an application for electronically monitored bail, but the person tasked with reporting the suitability of the proposed address could not contact the occupants, defence lawyer Kylee O’Connor said.

Tarei pleaded not guilty to charges of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault on a person in a family relationship, contravening a protection order and escaping police custody.

He was remanded in custody until February for a case review hearing but can bring a bail application prior.

Trial date set

Self-defended Romana Rapana is expected to defend himself at a judge alone trial in June for charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and obstructing police.

Judge Bidois instructed Rapana to enter the dock, which the defendant said he would do, as long as it was recorded as being “under duress and against [his] will.”

Rapana confirmed he did not want a lawyer.

The case was initially brought before the Hamilton District Court, but it was transferred to Whakatāne because the offending was alleged to have occurred in Tāneatua.

Name suppression continues

An Eastern Bay man charged with multiple counts of indecently assaulting teenage girls has been granted continued name suppression.

The man was not in court this week due to a miscommunication about court dates, and his attendance was excused.

Defence lawyer Leonard Hemi sought a continuation of the defendant’s interim name suppression on the basis that he has worked in schools previously and hopes to resume doing so at some point in the future.

He also brought up concerns about the defendant’s mental health.

The defendant is not currently working within schools, the court heard.

Police did not oppose the application for continued name suppression.

The man was remanded on bail to February.

Assault denied

Taine Te Hiko Wi Adam Tuwairua pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault on a person in a family relationship.

He was remanded to reappear for a case review hearing in February.

Readmitted to bail

Junior Falanai has been readmitted to bail after failing to appear in court during a previous hearing for a charge of assault on a person in a family relationship.

He was remanded on bail to mid-January, when a legal aid application will have been processed.

Remand to Ōpōtiki

Judge Bidois readmitted Deontaye Puha-Stewart to bail after he failed to appear for a previous court date.

Puha-Stewart faces charges of assault with intent to injure and breaching district court bail.

He was remanded on bail to the new year in Ōpōtiki.

No bail for indecent act charge

Whakatāne man Zachariah Kingi has been remanded in custody until the new year for a charge of acting indecently in a public place.

Kingi, 30, is accused of acting indecently in the public carpark on Kakahoroa Drive in Whakatāne on Tuesday.

Police opposed his bail, and a formal application was left for his future legal aid lawyer to make.

Kingi was remanded in custody until January 8.

ESO breach admitted

Kaya Herbert Williams has been given a suspended sentence of six months for breaching his extended supervision order.

Williams appeared on two counts of the charge, but probation withdrew one of the charges upon his guilty plea to the other.

Reparations ordered

Vallen Ratumara Swanson was ordered to pay $200 in reparations for damage caused when he trespassed.

He must also pay $200 in emotional harm reparations to the victim of a common assault he admitted this week.

Swanson was in custody for a week after his arrest and Judge Bidois heard that he was not suitable for community work.

Man fined, must complete community work

A man who failed to complete his outstanding community work since being sentenced to 160 hours at the beginning of last year has been fined – but he must still complete his hours.

Jebidiah Marks has 50 hours left from his original sentence, and Judge Bidois heard that his attempts to reduce them had been hampered by an old knee injury flaring.

The judge pondered sentencing Marks to community detention, but community probation raised concern about the suitability of his address, given the number of police callouts there.

Marks was fined $500 and ordered to complete his remaining 50 hours.

Disqualification looming

Jayjay John-John Te Are has been warned that he faces being disqualified from driving for 12 months if he does not complete his community work.

Te Are was sentenced in 2022 to 120 hours’ community work, of which he has completed 14.75 hours. The sentence was given as part of a Section 94 application, which saw Te Are avoid a 12-month disqualification and have community work imposed as an alternative.

He told the court that his doctor said he was fit to work 15 hours per week, to which Judge Bidois said community work was only eight hours.

The judge cancelled the current sentence and resentenced Te Are to 105 hours of community work.

He warned that if Te Are breached his sentence again, the community work would be cancelled, and a disqualification would be imposed in a re-sentencing on the original charge.

Case review scheduled

Jayden Rangitaia Matiaha Brown has been remanded to another case review hearing in February.

The first offender has denied charges of assault on a person in a family relationship and threatening to kill.

A case management memorandum had not been filed before this week’s case review hearing because of ongoing discussions between police and defence.

Short term of imprisonment

Ōpōtiki farmer Max Gleeson has been sentenced to three months’ prison for cutting off his ankle monitor and offending while on both sentence and bail.

Gleeson, 29, pleaded guilty this week to charges of breaching a protection order, common assault and breaching home detention.

Leave for substitution of the sentence with a home-based one was refused by the judge.

Final adjournment

One final adjournment has been granted for Percy Taewaru Rameka Tautuku to engage in the pre-sentencing report process.

Tautuku appeared in court this week for a scheduled sentencing on charges of driving with excess breath alcohol and driving while disqualified, but he had not engaged in the preparation of the pre-sentencing report.

The judge heard that Tautuku had been out of town building and packing down stages for concerts when the report writer tried to contact him.

Judge Bidois said this was his fourth conviction for drink driving in five years.

He granted one final adjournment to March so Tautuku could engage.

Charges clarified

Whakatāne builder Hikato Maaka has confirmed three pleas and been remanded without plea on two more.

Maaka, 41, has pleaded guilty to charges of wilful trespass and breaching bail, but has denied assaulting police.

He was remanded without plea on new charges of breaching a protection order and driving while disqualified.

Maaka was remanded to February for a combined plea and case review hearing.