Man back in jail after parole breach
A DUNEDIN man who had tried to gas his expartner to death breached his parole by going to visit her on the West Coast.
Blair Wiremu Tamihana (45) had been out of prison less than two months when he breached his conditions, which barred him from contacting the victim and from consuming alcohol.
The incident saw him recalled to Christchurch Men’s Prison and he will remain behind bars until at least August.
Tamihana made headlines in May 2019 when he picked up his then partner and took her to the Portobello caravan where he was staying.
They argued and he pushed the victim on to the bed.
After an attempt to stab himself in the stomach with a hunting knife, Tamihana downed nine prescription painkillers and made the victim take one.
He disabled his girlfriend’s cellphone then turned on the stove, releasing the gas he hoped would kill them.
Finally, Tamihana closed the vents and parked his car beside the caravan’s door, climbing back in through the bathroom window.
“We are going to die together,” he told the victim.
However, she waited for Tamihana to pass out before sneaking through the window and raising the alarm.
He was jailed for three years and eight months on a charge of attempted murder.
Tamihana completed drug counselling and the board fielded numerous letters from his supporters before releasing him on January 15.
But on March 12 he travelled to the West Coast to meet the woman he had tried to kill.
Tamihana told the board at his recall hearing that the victim had contacted him on social media shortly after his release.
He said he met the woman at her request.
“He told us that he wanted to see the victim facetoface so that he could close that chapter of the book. He needed to know where he stood in her world. He was also concerned at her lies and manipulation of him,” said panel convener Neville Trendle.
He said the Parole Board could have no confidence in Tamihana if he were to be released immediately.
Mr Trendle called for a psychological assessment to identify how best the prisoner’s risk could be managed in future.