Woman knifed in lift

Press, 28 March 1981, Page 1

Woman knifed in lift

PA Auckland Horrified office workers - were confronted with a knife-wielding man attack-.-, ing a woman with a knife ' yesterday in Wellington’s State Insurance building ' lift. ~ As the lift doors opened at the ground floor of the Wakefield Street entrance, . the 27-year-old woman stumbled into the ; main foyer with the man continuing to stab her upper body and arms. People waiting for the lift saw the woman eventually fall and die nearby in a large pool of bloods She was Talaivosa Taloa, aged 27, a Tongan, of Linguard .. Road, Remuera. The man heading the in- i quiry, Detective Inspector - G. F- Hugglestone, said ; last evening the man and the woman had been at the Social Welfare Depart- ’ ment on the eleventh floor - of the building yesterday * afternoon.

The who had separated last month after living together for more - than one year, were at "the ; department to sign papers *• regarding the custody of - their one-month-old baby girl. They left the eleventh floor offices via the lift, he said.

Mr Huggleston said the 'couple were seen by people- in the department to.be arguing “quite openly” before getting into the lift.

During the journey down in the lift, the man had attacked the woman with a long, thin-bladed boning knife — similar to those used at freezing works — stabbing her many times.

As the lift opened at the ground floor.,and the man made his final lunge at the woman, a 17-year-old witness seized the man, disarmed- him -van.di&held him. until . police arrived. The knife was later recovered by the police.