Pair kidnapped baby
Two women charged with kidnapping a baby girl from an Auckland address have pleaded guilty. Sydnee Toulapapa admitted one charge of kidnapping and one of burglary on Wednesday at the High Court in Auckland. Toulapapa took the 11-day-old baby from an Epsom home on August 9, 2017. Police were alerted about 7am by the parents, and the infant was found and returned to her parents about 1.30pm safe and well. Toulapapa was charged alongside Nadene Faye Manukau-togiavalu, who entered a guilty plea on Tuesday. Defence lawyer Annabel Creswell said Manukau-togiavalu had had pretended to be pregnant and to have given the baby up for adoption. Creswell told Justice Timothy Brewer that Toulapapa thought she was helping Manukau-togiavalu to get her baby back. Crown prosecutor Kirsten Lummis said Manukautogiavalu signed herself up as a ‘‘home help nanny’’ and spent two nights at the Epsom home. ‘‘On the third night, before 7am, she arranged for Toulapapa to take the baby,’’ Lummis said. Both women will be sentenced in April.
Flash flooding
A downpour caused flash flooding across New Plymouth on Wednesday morning. The rain, which began about 6.30am, reached its peak between 8am and 9am, during which time 49 millimetres fell. The water quickly overwhelmed the storm drainage system in parts of the city. In total, 104mm of rainfall fell New Plymouth on Wednesday.
Storm costs $39m
Damage from ex-cyclone Fehi has led to insurance claims of nearly $39 million. The storm reached New Zealand on February 1 and caused damage through the South Island, especially on the West Coast. It was recently revealed the storm caused hundreds of thousands of dollars damage to the popular Abel Tasman Track, forcing the Department of Conservation to refund about $30,000 of hut fees. Insurers have received 2323 domestic claims relating to the storm, which will cost an estimated $22m. A further $12m of commercial damage has been lodged in 581 claims. Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Tim Grafton said the costs of ex-cyclone Gita’s damage, which pummelled parts of the country on February 19-20, were still to be worked out.
Drug smuggler jailed
A Canadian tried to smuggle in 8kg of meth, with a street value of up to $8 million, through Auckland airport freight, hidden in a concrete footstool. The 27-year-old was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on Wednesday to 15 years in jail and will serve at least 6 years before deportation. Kyle Robertson Mccready was arrested at Auckland Airport on October 7, 2016, as he was trying to leave the country, after he was linked to an air freight shipment seized two days earlier. He was convicted in January, after a jury trial.