Witnesses have police guard

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 38

Witnesses have police guard

PA Auckland Two women who will testify at the trial of Carrington Hospital Maori health unit workers have left their homes and jobs and are under police protection, said a hospital spokesman. The two are prosecution witnesses in the case in which the suspended head of Carrington’s Ware Paia unit, Titewhai Harawira, some of her family and others are charged with assaulting a patient. Two health workers, Mrs Judith Cooper and Mrs Kania Huia-Le-Thaby — employed part-time by

the Auckland Hospital Board — left their Carrington Hospital jobs in August. Carrington’s manager, Mr Alan Greenslade, said the women were under the care of the police witness protection squad. Their jobs were being kept for them, but others had been employed to complete their duties meanwhile, he said. Harawira and her daughter, Hinewhare; son, Arthur; and community health workers, Otere Halkyard and Tui Pere, were committed in August for District Court trial on

a charge of injuring a Whare Paia unit patient, Charles Matthews. The five defendants were remanded at large. The trial will be held in February — nearly 10 months after the April 16 incident in which Mr Matthews allegedly suffered facial bruising and a fracture above an eye while in the care of the Whare Paia unit. Mr Greenslade would not say whether any particular incident had prompted placing the two women witnesses under police protection. “The police obviously feel those two are in

danger of being got at,” he said. • Meanwhile, police are continuing inquiries into complaints by two other Maori health workers that in August they were threatened and assaulted outside the court where depositions were heard. Mrs Tarati Birks and Mrs Sheryl Stankovich have-told the police they went to the hearing to support Mrs Cooper and Mrs Huia-Le-Thaby. The women claim they were surrounded by the five defendants and their supporters and were abused and intimidated.

Mr Colin Craig, Mr Tom Mills and Mr Jim Cormie, stonemasons with James Tait, and the Dean of Christchurch, the Very Rev. David Coles, who holds a bottle with a message in it which was sealed yesterday in the base of the effigy of Bishop Harper, the first Bishop of Christchurch. The effigy was relocated during the re-structuring of the Cathedral chancel which began in June and is now completed. The bottle contains details of the relocation and the signatures and names of cathedral clergy, architect, contractor and stonemasons. During the relocation of the effigy an old bottle was found dated 1904, stating that the effigy had been re-erected that year and giving details of the clergy and workmen involved. The message was signed by Dean Walter Harper. Dr Coles said it was decided to replace the bottle with a contemporary bottle containing similar information. The stonemasons also placed copies of local papers, coins and a photograph of the group who had worked on the cathedral alterations, before sealing the base of the effigy yesterday. Tradesmen who worked on the project will be among the congregation at a dedication service on Sunday evening at which the Bishop of Christchurch, the Right Rev. Maurice Goodall, will officiate.