Steve Kilgallon

4 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Kate Green |Steve Kilgallon |Karanama Ruru |Glenn McConnell

A British man has been arrested at Disneyland Paris after allegedly trying to stage a fake wedding to a nine-year-old girl. The theme park had been privately hired for the ceremony early on Saturday morning before it was open to the public, at a reported cost of €130,000 (NZ$251,000). However, police were called after staff realised that the bride, a Ukrainian national who was wearing a wedding dress and reportedly tottering on high heels, appeared to be a young child.

1 week ago | stuff.co.nz | Chris Marriner |Rob Gillies |Will Weissert |Steve Kilgallon

He and his mates then tried to get to the stricken boat themselves. “We attempted to swim out to the boat with some life buoys over here, with no success. The current was too strong and a boat was coming in, so we called out to the boat for some assistance. “We managed to get the operator, the boat driver, out of the water and then we managed to secure the boat and tow it around to the boat ramp.”Jim was watching police and Fire and Emergency staff retrieve the vessel from the Pātea River boatramp.

3 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Ava Whitworth |Steve Kilgallon |Sanda Arambepola |Sam Smith

A man who went on an 18-month crime spree targeting commercial and retail premises is in no position to repay the debt they incurred as result of his relentless offending, a court has heard. Tan Ropitini, 36, committed the first offence in December 2023 when he stole a pair of shoes from Rebel Sports in Hastings, and continued his offending until January 2025 when he was arrested in Foxton while in possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

3 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Poppy Clark |Steve Kilgallon |Paula Penfold

An enraged van driver was so incensed at encountering two cyclists on a Waikato road, he deliberately drove into their path and slammed on the brakes - causing an unavoidable collision with a gold-medal winning rider. The cyclist Brian David Mills targeted and subsequently injured was professional rider Eltje Malzbender, a well-known identity in the sport who at the time was in training for the Tokyo Paralympics.

3 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Steve Kilgallon

Warning: This story discusses sexual abuse. Prolific sex offender Charles Afeaki could not recall his victim, but their life was forever changed. Yesterday, the 82-year-old finally faced justice. Steve Kilgallon reports. Graham’s* life unravelled after seeing a news story in 1994 about the jailing of former school teacher and Marist Brother Charles Afeaki. Until then, he’d assumed his first form teacher at Marist Brothers Primary in Invercargill was dead.