Assault and
violence on the rise
Submissions due in case against opposition
Businessman charged over Manihiki incident
Assault
and violence on the rise
Tuesday 13: A police
investigation is underway into an alleged assault outside
the Staircase Restaurant and Bar at the weekend.
Police Inspector Arama Tera says the incident involved two
groups of youths. A member of one of the groups allegedly
assaulted an innocent bystander.
Tera says there has been an increase in domestic violence
and common assault recently.
The person alleged to have carried out the assault has been
arrested and will be appear before the high court.
In addition to domestic violence and assaults, Tera says the
number of motor vehicle crashes rose last week with seven
reported to police.
Two of the incidents involved alcohol - one crash occurred
in O'oa with a female driver receiving a gash on her head,
and the other crash involved a visitor riding a motorbike at
the seawall in Nikao.
Tera says this was the first time the number of crashes has
reached as high as seven for over a month now, and police
are hoping this will drop. - Tara Carr
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Submissions
due in case against opposition
Tuesday 13: Former opposition
office chief executive George Turia has until this week to
file further submissions with the high court in relation to
his case against his former employer.
Those submissions must deal with just who is legally
responsible to pay any sum, if ordered to, by the court.
Turia filed a civil suit against the opposition office after
he was dismissed from his job last year. The matter was
heard before chief justice David Williams in April and was
adjourned to await his decision.
However, Williams asked for further submissions, some of
which will have to explain the combined effect of the letter
of termination on 14 May 2007, the withdrawal notice by the
office on 18 May and the letter of 22 May where Turia did
not accept the withdrawal of his termination.
Williams ruled that once the defendants - the opposition
office and its leader Tom Marsters - receive Turia's
submissions, then they must file their response and also
deal with a number of issues themselves.
One issue is to legally ascertain whether the departure of
Sir Geoffrey Henry as former opposition leader ended the
contact of employment between the office and Turia.
Sir Geoffrey officially stepped down as leader on 31 August
2006. - Tara Carr
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Businessman
charged over Manihiki incident
Wednesday 14: Pearl trader
Tamaroatemu (Temu) Okotai has been fronted before the high
court on a single charge of inciting someone to commit an
offence.
It wasn't till 4.30pm that the court session before Justice
of the Peace Tauei Solomon took place.
No plea has been entered on the single charge that alleges
that on 13 May he did incite, counsel a person namely Mataio
Johnson of Tukao, Manihiki to commit the offence of
endangering transport, namely an Air Rarotonga aircraft,
flight GZ711. The charge is filed under the Crimes Act 1969.
Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Teinaki Howard asked for
the case to be adjourned until 22 May to allow Okotai time
to obtain legal counsel.
He said police had no objection to Okotai being released on
bail but with the following conditions - that he must
surrender his passport to the Registrar and not have any
contact with three residents on Manihiki - Johnston, Ruhau
Tamahunu and Papa Pia Taraeka.
Given a chance to address the court, Okotai said he didn't
have anything to say concerning the conditions. He said he
had no legal representation and could assume that neither
had dire consequences for him.
Howard had told the court that Okotai was planning on
travelling overseas after 22 May and that he (Okotai) could
make an application to the court concerning his passport.
Okotai will return to court next week on Thursday. - Tara
Carr
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