New Zealand Herald

Herion Lord - Burglar Crack-down - Mad Decision - Soldier’s Body - Malcolm Skelton - Varroa By Mail - Essay Winner - Tomahawk Man - Flatmate Committed - Cervical Screening - Bus Lanes - Easter Crime - Pools Vs Books

HERION LORD: Security around a man who allegedly masterminded one of the biggest shipments of heroin into the United States is as tight as that for visiting heads of state during Apec. But the Herald has managed to photograph the man, Hing Hung Wong, as he worked out in a gym at a secret location in Auckland.

BURGLAR CRACK-DOWN: Police will be ordered to respond to burglaries within 24 hours under a tough new anti-crime package which will give them the right to fingerprint children as young as 10. The move to give break-in victims "same-day service" from the police comes as Police Minister George Hawkins draws up plans to tackle burglary, the crime that affects most New Zealanders.

MAD DECISION: An Auckland pilot has accused fellow pilots of acting like "sheep" by flying through the cloud and mist-shrouded Lindis Pass, scene of Monday's fatal Cessna crash that claimed six lives. The criticism came as the Civil Aviation Authority confirmed it was investigating up to 30 breaches of special procedures set up for pilots flying to the Warbirds Over Wanaka air show.

SOLDIER’S BODY: The body of a New Zealand soldier killed in East Timor just hours after a service to remember the fallen in war will be flown home tomorrow. Staff Sergeant William Edward White, of Palmerston North, died when the Unimog truck he was in plunged down a 30m bluff in the Suai region.

MALCOLM SKELTON: Doctors and family hope little Malcolm Skelton's face will light up with delight next week when his hearing computer is switched on for the first time. The Otara infant lost virtually all hearing - and almost his life - last October when he contracted pneumococcal meningitis.

VARROA BY MAIL: The Varroa mite threatening the multimillion-dollar beekeeping industry probably arrived in the mail, despite a 40-year ban on such imports. A Queen bee and a half dozen drones, mailed in a small wooden box with a sweet to feed on, are able to survive for days even in a freezing cargo hold.

MAORI AIRWAVES: Alliance MP Willie Jackson has shattered cosy Coalition harmony by accusing his Labour partners of an insulting sellout of Maori over the auction of high-frequency radio waves. "They are insulting Maori voters and Maori MPs," he said last night, claiming it was his duty to "alert our people to the sellout that is going on from Labour."

TOMAHAWK MAN: An axeman who robbed two South Auckland video stores last night may be the "tomahawk man" who has been terrorising video stores in the Waikato. A man brandishing an axe threatened attendants at Video Ezy stores in Manurewa and Papatoetoe in quick succession last night, fleeing both with undisclosed sums of money.

CERVICAL SCREENING: Serious problems with the national cervical screening programme should have been obvious to the Ministry of Health as far back as 1992, according to evidence at the Gisborne inquiry. Under cross-examination, Ministry of Health witness Dr Bob Boyd said that, looking back at quality assurance issues relating to the programme in the past eight years, there were gaps which were not identified.

ESSAY WINNER: On her visit to Gallipoli with four other national essay winners, the Christchurch seventh former coped with flying for 24 hours, experiencing three cultures in a week and the intense media interest. Then she managed to do what Opposition leader Jenny Shipley hasn't achieved in six months - she upstaged the Prime Minister.

FLATMATE COMMITTED: WELLINGTON - A former flatmate of suspected murder victim Gavin Dash has been committed to psychiatric care. Unnamed sources have said that the police dealt with the man last Thursday and he was later committed under the Mental Health Act.

PORN SUPPLIER: It started with his growing addiction to child sex on the Internet - and ended when he took a bag of condoms and lubricant to a police trap at public toilets. Tudor Trevor Owen, aged 51, was handed a suspended six-month prison sentence, six months' periodic detention and $750 in fines yesterday after he admitted making, supplying and possessing objectionable publications, and preparing to commit a crime.

BUS LANES: Two new bus priority lanes are being added to Auckland's transport network. Buses should be passing queuing cars on Fanshawe St and Great South Rd within the next four months.

EASTER CRIME: Two professional burglars who drove from Wellington to Auckland to raid homes were part of a crime wave that greeted many returning holidaymakers this Easter. The pair stole $40,000 worth of goods from an Epsom house and police suspect they burgled others - including two where families were home at the time.

POOLS VS BOOKS: Splashing about in swimming pools has won out over books in Manukau City - at least for the time being. The Manukau City Council put a hold on any further plans for a central city library as part of the planned revamp of Manukau City Centre.

© Scoop Media