Taxi-driver’s killers still sought

Press, 17 May 1984, Page 8

Taxi-driver’s killers still sought

PA Auckland The police last evening were still hunting for the killers of the Otara taxidriver, Tiale Lafaele, whose shirtless body was found in long grass near a Mount Wellington industrial property yesterday afternoon. An hour earlier the police had recovered a bloodstained carving knife a short distance from where the blood-splattered taxi was found abandoned at 9.15 a.m. yesterday.

Detectives have interviewed several people after the discovery of the knife, but last evening said that further inquiries were being made.

The taxi-driver’s widow, Mrs Margaret Lafaele, said yesterday that she had sometimes feared for her husband’s safety when he was on night shift.

She said that her husband had told her of his fears of being attacked.

“Sometimes he said he would get a bit scared at night, and he would keep looking in the (rear view) mirror.

“Otherwise, he had had a lot of good passengers,” she said.

Mr Lafaele, aged 41, a Western Samoan, had lived in Auckland for about 20 years.

His widow described him as a quiet, warm man who was particularly close to his five children, aged between four and 11.

•‘The kids were very close to their father. He spent all his free time with them.”

Mrs Lafaele said her husband did the night shift so he could care for the younger children while she worked during the day. She said her husband attended the Pacific Island Congregational Church and was intending to take a course to become a lay preacher. Mrs Lafaele said she realised something was amiss when she awoke yesterday to find her husband had not returned.

The manager of the South Auckland Taxi Association, Ltd, Mr Ernie Hurley, said that Mr Lafaele had been a taxi-driver for about two

years, and had been a model driver with an excellent work record.

Nir Hurley said that when Mr Lafaele failed to return his car to its owner. Mr Bill Lawrence, a general alert was put out at 8 a.m. to all taxis to keep a look-out for the green Chrysler Valiant. A taxi-driver found the Car in Kealy Road, Mount Wellington, about 9 a.m. Mr Hurley said the driver’s window was down, the keys in the car, and the interior in disarray. Blood was splattered inside the car and on its exterior.

Detective Senior-Sergeant Kelvin McMinn, of the Otahuhu C. 1.8. said that Mr Lafaele had accepted a job at the Otahuhu R.S.A. at 8.50 p.m. on Tuesday. The caller gave a Christian name. Nothing more was heard of cab 53. Mr McMinn said there was no sign of the money purse Mr Lafaele would have been carrying.

The body found in the ditch appeared to have been beaten about the face, he said.