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The family of a 19-year-old killed at an Auckland paper factory is devastated the coworker responsible was sentenced to home detention and revealed the victim was intending to quit the job.
Hamuwera (Hamu) Holloway’s brother, Janko Orgovan, 33, told the Herald on Sunday he was heartbroken he couldn’t protect his baby brother who loved meat pies and had the “biggest heart”.
Holloway had told his family he was going to leave his job and look for work elsewhere before a fight broke out between him and a coworker and his life was cut short.
Lima Terry Feleti, 18, pleaded guilty to killing Hamuwera Holloway, 19, last year.
Last week he was sentenced to 10 months’ home detention.
“He gets to eat his mother’s cooking and has a second chance at life. My brother doesn’t,” Orgovan said.
“Do the crime do the time, it’s as simple as that. When the judge says jail won’t benefit Lima, it’s not there to benefit him it’s there to deter him — that’s what jail is. ”
Feleti was originally charged with assault with a weapon but police later upgraded the charge to manslaughter.
The spat between the two men started before 8.40pm on September 7 while they were working at a cardboard splitting machine at Charta Packaging in East Tamaki.
“You were feeding cardboard though the machine causing it to fall out and on to the ground. Annoyed, Mr Holloway picked it up and threw it at you,” Justice Kit Toogood told the court.
The men started to row before another worker intervened. Later, Feleti picked up a metal-shaped tool, weighing just over 300g, and threw it at Holloway.
It hit Holloway in the face and he fell to the ground, bleeding heavily.
Orgovan has seen CCTV footage of the incident and says it has raised more questions for him.
“Lima says he aimed at Hamu’s stomach, but the machine was between him and Hamu. I know he didn’t mean to kill Hamu but it doesn’t make sense to aim so low, the tool would have bounced off.”
Orgovan said he could see Feleti saying ‘sorry’ on the recording when Holloway collapsed.
“Another worker tried to help Hamu while Lima watched. Lima never helped Hamu with first aid or anything. He stood there for a bit and ran away for help.”
The family revealed Holloway was going to quit his job the night of his death. He told them he was being “picked on” by a staff member.
“Hamu was a very big boy but he wasn’t aggressive, he was a gentle giant, to be honest. He stayed there because he was trying to save money to move to Melbourne after his 21st this year,” Orgovan said.
Piata Holloway, 36, Hamuwera’s sister and his “second mother”, misses her brother deeply.
“We were very close, he was more like a son to me than a brother. If I was upset he’d say something to make it better, he was cheeky and bubbly.
“My biggest regret is I didn’t stop Hamu from going in to work that day. He was going to resign after that shift.”
Holloway thought Feleti’s sentence was “gut-wrenching”. She was furious to find out Feleti was on bail for an assault charge at the time her brother was killed.
“I don’t know if it was an accident or on purpose. He took my brother’s life and gets home detention, it’s a big slap in the face to our family. It’s like our brother’s life wasn’t worth anything.”
The family is still deciding whether to appeal Feleti’s sentence.
Feleti didn’t want to comment when approached by the Herald on Sunday.
Orgovan says Feleti deserves a second chance but has to earn it first.