New Zealand! Teen adopted ‘gangster ways’ in lead-up to fatal stabbing, Hawke’s Bay police find meth and $100,000 cash after armed officers stop car, Frederick King admits lighting South Taranaki fire that killed Michael Slade 20 years ago, Tribunal cancels registration for teacher who disguised himself swapped drugs for oral sex with student, Fright response manslaughter trial: Crown says Auckland man caused partner to jump from moving car 2025.3.4-3.10

A teenager accused of a murder had adopted “gangster ways” in the lead-up to a fatal stabbing, a forensic psychologist told the court today.

The trial of the 14-year-old boy accused following the death of Enere John Junior Taana-McLaren’s continues in the High Court at Dunedin before Justice Robert Osborne.

Taana-McLaren, 16, died of a single stab wound at the Dunedin bus hub on Great King St, on May 23 last year.

Te Whatu Ora forensic psychologist Dr Brandon Strange today told the court the defendant was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and had adopted “gangster ways” to protect himself.

Strange began seeing the defendant last June at the Te Puna Wai youth justice facility, and continued working with him until his transfer to Dunedin on February 19 this year.

He told the court the defendant experienced significant cultural differences upon arriving in New Zealand and was subjected to bullying and potential racism.

His family reported he had managed well academically until August 21, 2023, when he was allegedly assaulted by school bullies in a park.

Following the assault, the defendant became withdrawn and depressed, exhibiting symptoms consistent with a trauma response, Strange said.

The defendant admitted he was deeply concerned for his safety and was determined not to be victimised again.

He believed that by appearing “tough,” he could deter further attacks, Strange said.

Strange said the defendant assimilated elements of “gangster culture” because it provided him with a sense of security and belonging.

“On the surface, his speech, actions, and behaviours could be viewed as oppositional or indicative of a cognitive disorder, but it was more likely immaturity, bravado, and concern about safety. He was doing a lot of impression management, trying to appear tough.”

After a thorough assessment and consultation with his family, the defendant was diagnosed with ADHD.

He and his parents agreed to begin medication, which reportedly improved his attention, focus, and impulse control.

Strange described the defendant as a bright young person who had compensated well for his challenges.

He explained that impression management was typical for adolescents in uncomfortable situations, and the defendant was behaving in ways that aligned with how he perceived himself and how he thought others saw him.

“We would understand his behaviour as possibly being driven by anxiety,” Strange said.

At Te Puna Wai, the defendant continued to present with a gangster-like persona, which Strange described as unusual given his home environment.

“We understood it as part of his identity development — kids try out different roles,” he said.

He and his family stated that the August assault had fundamentally changed him, and he avoided confronting problems directly and instead sought safety through learning to fight, Strange said.

He felt he was not protected at school, where his attackers remained, the court heard.

Feeling helpless, he searched for ways to defend himself, eventually watching fight videos on YouTube, weight training, practicing boxing on a fridge wrapped in clothing, and carrying a knife.

Once he acquired a knife, he felt a reduced sense of vulnerability.

Strange diagnosed the defendant with PTSD in November 2024, primarily linked to the August assault.

However, he confirmed the trauma made the defendant more susceptible to developing PTSD following the alleged fatal stabbing incident last May.

The trial continues.

Twenty years ago, a fire ripped through a house bus in a small rural town, killing the sole occupant, Michael Paul Slade.

An investigation by police and fire safety officers found the blaze probably started with a smouldering cigarette.

However, Frederick Matene King, of Manaia, South Taranaki, claims he went to the Hāwera police station not long after and admitted to starting the fire, and nothing came of it.

Police say there is no record of that happening.

Two decades later, King, 39, has confessed again and today he appeared in the High Court at New Plymouth charged with Slade’s manslaughter.

Slade, a 27-year-old labourer who was living in the house bus at the time, died in the 2005 fire in Manaia.

At the hearing, before Justice David Boldt, King pleaded guilty to causing his death.

Justice Boldt acknowledged Slade’s family in court, telling them he hoped the recent developments helped them understand what happened that night, and provided them with closure.

He told King “It was a big thing” coming forward to confess and to acknowledge responsibility with his guilty plea.

“I commend you for doing that.”

According to the Crown summary of facts, King and Slade were not known to each other before the incident.

On August 19, 2005, King was drinking at his friend’s house party in Manaia. The party was at the front of the address, visible to the road.

About 9pm, Slade drove down the street and performed burnouts on the grass in front of the property.

This agitated King, who approached Slade’s car and punched him several times through the open driver’s window.

Slade drove off and King returned to the party.

Later in the evening, King went to a local pub and was asked by an associate if he wanted to “get that fulla back”, referring to Slade.

The associate knew where Slade lived.

King and three friends walked to Slade’s property where King went inside the house bus to assault him.

But when he saw Slade was asleep, King changed his mind and turned to leave.

As he walked out, he used his lighter to ignite a piece of paper covering one of the windows in the bus.

King saw the paper was alight before returning to the pub with his friends to continue drinking.

Then in January last year, police were contacted by a social service as a result of King telling his social worker that he was responsible for the fire.

King was interviewed by police and confessed.

He told police he did not know why he lit the paper, suggesting he was “just drunk” and wanted to scare Slade or hurt him in some way.

In court, Justice Boldt recorded King’s plea and told him to return for sentencing on May 21.

Restorative justice was ordered as both Slade’s family and King had expressed interest in attending.

Detective Sergeant Nicky Spicer said the police investigation into the fire was reopened after police were made aware of King’s recent admission.

“Mr King was spoken to as part of this, resulting in his arrest,” Spicer, the officer in charge of the case, told NZME.

“Although Mr King has acknowledged that he tried to speak with police about this in the years following the arson, police have been unable to find a record of this.”

Spicer said it had been a very emotional time for Slade’s family who were still grieving the loss of their son and brother.

According to Taranaki Daily News reports at the time, the fire broke out about 1am and Slade’s employer, who was living in a house bus nearby, woke to the blaze.

He raised the alarm and firefighters and police arrived at the scene to find the inside of the bus burnt out.

The occupant’s remains were found and a post-mortem confirmed it to be Slade.

Belinda Dewar, who at the time was a Detective Sergeant and is now the Taranaki area commander, told the Taranaki Daily News that an investigation had found it was not suspicious.

She said the fire was likely started by a cigarette left burning on the kitchen bench, or possibly a nearby mechanic’s lamp.

”We think it was more likely caused by smoking materials. This is supported by the post-mortem results which found he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Another police officer told the Taranaki Daily News the fire had dealt a blow to the township.

”It’s a dark day in a small town when something like this happens,” he said.

Throughout the years, Slade’s loved ones have marked the anniversary of his death with memorial notices.

“So loved, so missed, and so very dear,” one read.

“Time passes but you are never forgotten,” another said.

A Wellington teacher disguised himself as a drug dealer to exploit a 14-year-old girl.
He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual communication and was sentenced to nine months’ home detention.
The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has now cancelled his registration, citing serious misconduct and emotional abuse.

A teacher disguised himself as a drug dealer and tricked a 14-year-old girl into performing oral sex on him in exchange for cannabis.

The man, whose name is suppressed along with his victim, was a teacher at a school in Wellington when his relationship with his student escalated to them leaving school to have lunch and then messaging one another on Facebook.

Soon, the teacher offered to supply the girl with free cannabis and met her at a bus stop in Upper Hutt where he gave her 3g of the Class C substance.

A few days later, the girl contacted her teacher and asked for more of the drug, but he said he was out of town and his friend “Joseph” could help her out.

But it was the girl’s teacher who actually turned up to that meeting wearing a black jacket, sweatpants, gumboots and a beanie but also with a black T-shirt wrapped around his face, meaning only his eyes were visible and told the student he was the teacher’s friend Joseph before giving her more cannabis.

There was further messaging between the pair where the teacher claimed that “Joseph” wanted to give her more cannabis, in exchange for oral sex.

Another meeting was arranged at a local school and the teacher again arrived disguised as the fictitious Joseph where he said she could have three bags of cannabis and $100 cash if she performed oral sex on him.

The girl accepted the offer and gave the man, whom she didn’t know was her teacher, oral sex for about 30 seconds before telling him she felt like she was going to throw up.

The man put his hand on the girl’s head and forced her onto his penis despite her trying to pull away. She became upset, started crying and left.

A month later, the teacher contacted the girl again on Facebook under a fake profile called “Joseph Porter” and asked to meet with her again at the same location, this time requesting sex in exchange for cannabis and cash.

In August 2022 the man pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual communication with a young person, indecent communication and supply for a Class C drug in the Wellington District Court. In October the same year he was sentenced to nine months’ home detention, but granted permanent name suppression by the court.

While the teacher signed a voluntary undertaking not to teach in 2020 while police investigated the incidents, following his conviction and sentence the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal were notified and held a hearing last year where it cancelled his registration for good.

The teacher did not attend that hearing but sent the panel submissions, which explained the context of his behaviour. However, the tribunal did not detail them in its ruling which was publicly released this week.

“We do not need to consider these issues in any great depth as sexual offending against a student clearly satisfies all of the suggested criteria and is clearly serious misconduct,” the tribunal’s ruling reads.

“The actual and potential impact on [the student] is obvious. Any teacher who behaves in that way is not fit to be a teacher and members of the public would rightly conclude that the teaching profession was undermined and discredited by such behaviour.

“Further it is emotionally abusive, breaches clear professional boundaries and is serious criminal behaviour.”

A motorist’s manslaughter trial began after his partner jumped from their moving vehicle.
Prosecutors allege the man punched the woman after she threw fried rice at him.
The couple’s 10-year-old son witnessed the incident, leading to both adults receiving name suppression.

A motorist saw red after his longtime partner threw a takeout order of fried rice in his face as he was driving, jurors were told today as his manslaughter trial began in the High Court at Auckland.

Prosecutors say the woman jumped out of the couple’s moving vehicle in a South Auckland neighbourhood, resulting in a fatal head injury, because she feared further violence as the man repeatedly punched her in response to the fried rice insult.

The defendant, 29, and the woman who died both have name suppression to protect the identity of the Crown’s main witness – their 10-year-old son, who was in the back seat of the Honda Odyssey people mover at the time of the incident.

The couple had been running errands together on a Monday evening in October 2023 when they first started arguing after sending their son inside the Chinese takeaway to retrieve their order, prosecutor Charlie Piho said as he outlined the Crown’s case in an opening address.

While still parked, the woman got out of the people mover and began to walk off with keys to the defendant’s recently purchased motorbike. CCTV showed the defendant chasing after her.

“Give my f–ing keys!” he is alleged to have yelled, to which the woman responded by throwing the keys into a grassy area and continued to walk away.

The defendant then went back to the car and, with their son inside it, followed the woman and yelled for her to get in, prosecutors said. When she again refused, he grabbed her and pushed her into the vehicle before driving off, authorities allege.

The defendant’s driving was described as erratic as he continued to argue with the woman, to the point that the rice spilled off their son’s lap in the back seat.

“Look what you’ve done!” the woman allegedly told the defendant as she threw the spilled food at him.

“That appears to have been the last straw for [the defendant],” Piho told jurors, adding that instead of pulling over and de-escalating the situation, the defendant kept driving several minutes down several residential streets in Māngere.

“[He] refused to stop the car,” Piho said, adding that the woman and their son repeatedly asked him to stop as he punched her multiple times in the head and upper body out of anger. “She covered her head, grabbed his hands and told him to stop …

“When [the woman] could not stop him, out of fear of further violence, she opened the front passenger door and jumped.”

The defendant is charged with what is called “fear response” manslaughter. To be found guilty, jurors must believe he caused his partner to fear violence; that such fear “contributed in a not insignificant way” to her exiting the vehicle; that the woman’s response “could have been forseen by a reasonable, responsible person” in his position; and that the woman’s response contributed to her death in a not insignificant way.

Immediately after the woman jumped out, the defendant stopped the car, ran to her and tried to rouse her, prosecutors said today. He initially left police and bystanders with the impression that his partner jumped out unexpectedly during a heated but non-violent argument, Piho said.

But police later found their son crying on the side of the road and asked what had happened.

“My mum and dad were arguing,” the boy is alleged to have told the officer. “Dad then punched my mum in the face. Dad drove off and Mum jumped out of the car.

“They’re always arguing.”

Jurors are expected to view recorded interviews with both the defendant and his son.

When confronted about his son’s statement hours later, the defendant is alleged to have said he didn’t remember punching his partner but if his son said it happened he must have.

During a recorded interview a short time later, he suggested he was acting in self-defence and in defence of his passengers as his partner began throwing food at him and pulling his hair. He described a backhand push with a seven out of 10 force but not a punch.

The police interviewer pointed out there was blood spatter on the passenger-side ceiling of the vehicle. The defendant acknowledged it must have been gotten there during the scuffle, Piho said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Speed later gave a very brief opening statement in which he posed several questions he asked jurors to keep in mind over the next several weeks of testimony.

“Was opening the car door reasonably foreseeable or was it an irrational, unpredictable reaction?” he asked.

The trial continues before Justice Michael Robinson and the jury.