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TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2007 www.waikatotimes.co.nz One win and Fozzie’s

TODAY AND EVERY TUESDAY job’s safe TV LIFTOUT INSIDE SPORT 24 Fraud

REMNANTS: The remains of what is believed to be wreckage from the 1953 railway disaster lie under victims the rail bridge. PICTURE: Bruce Mercer Historic debris fight for unearthed by latest lahar An overturned rail bogie from the Tangiwai disaster was uncovered by the weekend lahar. The bogie — a chassis carrying wheels — lay in silt and mud beside the riverbank, un- compo derneath the Tangiwai rail bridge. rail historian Bob Norling said it man Bob Skinner lost $1.5 million was very likely to be from the 1953 disaster. By Esther Harward in the deal. “Quite a bit of the carriages were left in the Former Cambridge lawyer Mur- river because they couldn’t recover it all and Victims of one of the Waikato’s ray Osmond, seen as the ringlead- every now and then it comes to the surface.” most notorious fraud scams, Oper- er of the deal, was convicted Mr Norling said the area was tapu to Maori ation Allsorts, are struggling to get alongside Harris. Harris was also and any wreckage was left where it was found. compensation out of the New Zea- convicted in December on seven The Tangiwai disaster — caused by a lahar land Law Society. charges of fraud and one of theft — was New Zealand’s worst railway crash, The society has paid out just for his role in Allsorts. killing 151 people. On Christmas Eve 1953 the $361,000 of $4.8 million in claims Mr Skinner is selling his 20ha to express ploughed off received over the case, in which stud farm to fund a battle with the the rail bridge at Tangiwai, 10km from dozens of Waikato people lost their law society for compensation from . homes through a fraud scheme in its fidelity fund. The bridge’s concrete pylons had been which a former Cambridge lawyer The fund collects $320 a year weakened only minutes before by a massive played a leading role. from solicitors “for the benefit of lahar from Mt Ruapehu’s crater lake. Victims are even more bitter persons having suffered loss by More than 50 years on, the latest breach that the Crown has paid hundreds reason of theft by a solicitor” and was caused by huge rainfall causing seepage of thousands of dollars towards the currently holds $10.8 million. and runoff, which gradually eroded the crater criminals’ court defences. Mr Skinner said he was angry lake’s dam wall. The Government’s Legal Ser- that Harris received legal aid Meanwhile, national rail operator Ontrack vices Agency has confirmed legal while he was paying his own law- has had to employ a security firm to prevent aid has gone to former Cambridge yers to get back what he lost. sightseers wandering on to the Tangiwai rail barrister and solicitor William Ray “My farm is on the market now. bridge. Chief executive David George said it Harris ($45,164), former Hamilton It’s broken our hearts,” he said. was ironic the sightseers were posing a greater solicitor Margaret Elizabeth “It’s bloody disgusting, and the danger to public safety than the lahar did. Carran ($38,087) and Hamilton thing is that they will never pay He slammed as ‘‘completely irresponsible’’ a barrister and solicitor John Fong that money back. All those people teacher who tried to take a class of children on ($44,604). who can’t afford it should be eligi- to the bridge yesterday. — Fairfax Legal aid was also granted to ble for legal aid so they can fight See Mountain lets off steam, page 3; editorial, page former Hamilton finance broker the law society to get all the mon- 6; pictures page 10; Firm happy with lahar, page 13 Miles McKelvy ($23,636) and his ey that Harris has swindled off associate Arden Fatu ($192,258). them.” Fatu pleaded guilty to fraud last South Taranaki woman Rubina year a few days before the end of Pine said it was “unbelievable” BEST FOOT FORWARD: Ambulance officers give medical attention to a truck driver trapped in the cab of an More buns make his hearing. The criminals were that Harris received legal aid. “He overturned truck on the Raglan deviation on SH23. PICTURE: Peter Drury part of a complex web of fraudsters can cry a bit longer as far as I’m including accountants, finance bro- concerned.” kers and businesspeople. In 2001 Mrs Pine and her hus- for bigger bums One man stung in another case band John signed away their involving Harris is claiming $2.5 Manaia house which the family Officer lucky to avoid careering truck Came a Good Friday, we million, including $1 million in in- had lived on for seven generations A Raglan policeman just was trapped in the upturned vehi- was conscious throughout. ate hot-cross buns. terest. Harris was convicted in in a deal assisted by Harris. They missed being hit by an out-of-con- cle in a ditch. Firefighters and ambulance Now we eat them several March last year of conspiring to spent three years fighting off mort- trol truck yesterday. Mr Kahika used his police radio staff said it was one of the more months a year and it’s a defraud Dorchester Finance in a gagee sales. recipe for obesity, dietitians Constable Jason Kahika was to raise the alarm as the area had difficult rescues they had been in- warn. The seasonal treats, quarry deal in 1998. Cambridge Continues page 3 no cellphone coverage. volved in because of the truck’s driving his patrol car from Raglan once home-baked and eaten up the Raglan deviation on SH23 Mr Kahika said a passing mo- position. one day or one week a year, Offbeat when he saw a maize truck com- torist — who was an electrician — A crane was brought from are now available from Feb- Scores of drivers in Florida were your pot of gold,’’ a laser detector ing toward him on a bend. stopped to help and immobilised Hamilton to raise the cab slightly, ruary through to May. caught speeding by a dancing clocked speeding cars. Speedsters “I slammed on the anchors and the battery as the truck’s engine allowing the driver, who had been Public health nutritionist Bronwen King roadside leprechaun. An Orange complained that being stopped by a began reversing. As you can see was still running. trapped for more than an hour, to said the buns were not a bad thing in them- County sheriff’s deputy dressed as a deputy in costume was entrapment. ‘‘I the truck ended up inches from Getting the driver out of the be freed. He was taken by ambu- selves, but people needed to take care how leprechaun warned warning drivers to think that’s just ridiculous,’’ Deputy where I was, upside down.” cab was a challenge for lance to Waikato Hospital with they fit into their diets. She recommended peo- slow down. But above his sign reading Richard Lockman said. ’’The elf didn’t The driver of the maize truck, a firefighters who had to dig out moderate injuries. ple avoid eating them “dripping in butter”. One ‘‘Watch your speed or it will cost you force anybody to speed.’’ 53-year-old Te Awamutu man, part of a bank on the roadside. He — Andrew McAlley bun was the equivalent of two or three slices of bread. — The Press

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