Historical Events - Crime
| 13 Apr 1886 | Amy Bock (confidence trickster) is convicted of obtaining goods by false pretences |
| 6 Apr 1895 | Oscar Wilde is arrested |
| 26 May 1895 | Oscar Wilde is convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labour |
| 22 Apr 1907 | Bertha Victor appears in an court in Auckland charged with drunkenness, vagrancy, and usine obscene language |
| 27 May 1909 | Amy Bock is convicted on two counts of false pretences and one of forgery Bock, posing as Percival Redwood, married Agnes Ottaway |
| 15 May 1920 | Charles Mackay shoots and wounds D'Arcy Cresswell Mackay was the mayor of Wanganui at the time |
| 27 May 1920 | Charles Mackay pleads guilt to the attempted murder of D'Arcy Cresswell Mackay is sentenced to 15 years imprisonment |
| 5 Jul 1920 | Eugenia Falleni (a.k.a Harry Crawford) is arrested over the death of 'his' wife Annie Birkett |
| 6 Oct 1920 | Eugenia Falleni (a.k.a Harry Crawford) is found guilty of murdering Annie Birkett Falleni was convicted and condemned to death, but her sentence was commuted to detainment at the Governor's Pleasure |
| 1927 | Henry Feild, with an interest in the psychopathology of criminal behaviour, conducts an investigation into homosexuality Field interviews 40 inmates of New Plymouth prison (date unknown, ca 1926-1929) |
| 1 Oct 1929 | Leonard Hollobon is arrested and charged with indecently assaulting a male (Norris Davey) [Wellington, New Zealand] Davey is also charged. He later testifies against Hollobon Links: Papers Past, Te Ara |
| 29 Oct 1929 | Norris Davey is convicted of indecent assault on a male Soon after Davey changes his name to Frank Sargeson |
| 30 Oct 1929 | Leonard Hollobon is sentenced to five years reformative detention Hollobon pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault on males |
| 15 Apr 1935 | Eric Mareo murders his wife Themla Mareo Themla was also in a relationship with dancer Freda Stark |
| 26 Feb 1936 | Eric Mareo is found guilty of murdering his wife Themla Mareo Sentenced to death (on two occasions), his sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life on 4 August 1936 |
| 24 Sep 1945 | Police interview two women about their recent marriage to each other Evening Post headline: Strange Masquerade, Woman as Man |
| 22 Nov 1945 | Two women appear in court after being found to be married and living as husband and wife [Auckland, New Zealand] The court orders both women to submit themselves to psychiatric treatment. Links: Papers Past |
| 1952 | Paul De Rungs is court martialed after being charged with buggery De Rungs, an army cadet, had made a formal complaint about being raped |
| 22 Jun 1954 | Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme kill Pauline's mother. [Christchurch, New Zealand] Links: Queer History, Te Ara, Wikipedia |
| 30 Aug 1954 | Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme are convicted of murdering Pauline's mother Parker and Hulme were given indeterminate sentences in different prisons and released after five years |
| 1961 | A Way of Love (1959) by James Courage is banned It was censored on 'grounds of indecency, and because it lacked redeeming literary merit' |
| 1962 | Two men are discharged without conviction for indecent acts, with the Magistrate commenting that the law 'is soon to change' Police prosecutors appeal, and the decision is overturned |
| 23 Jan 1964 | Charles Aberhart is beaten to death in Hagley Park, Christchurch |
| 11 May 1964 | Six teenagers are acquitted of the manslaughter of Charles Aberhart |
| Nov 1966 | Raewyn Petley is found dead in her bed with a deep wound in her neck Doreen Ellen Davis is charged with her murder |
| Mar 1967 | Doreen Ellen Davis is found not guilty of murdering Raewyn Petley Davis' defence argued that she had been befriended by a woman outwardly kind and sympathetic but inwardly a hunting lesbian |
| 1976 | Labour MP Gerald O'Brien is charged with molesting two boys The charges were thrown out at a depositions hearing. Later O'Brien commented it was an 'attempt by my political enemies to get rid of me' |
| 27 Nov 1978 | Harvey Milk is shot in San Francisco, United States |
| 1 Feb 1980 | Police raid Westside sauna in Auckland Eight men were arrested and charged |
| 24 Apr 1980 | Arthur Ball stabs Miles MacFarlane - a total stranger - to death in Wellington He is later found not guilty on the grounds of insanity |
| 16 Sep 1980 | Arthur Ball is found not guilty of murdering Miles MacFarlane (on the grounds of insanity) |
| 10 Apr 1984 | Customs officials raid Gay's the Word bookstore (Operation Tiger), London The bookstore was charged with conspiring to import indecent literature |
| 5 Jun 1985 | Self defence courses for gay men become more popular. [New Zealand] This follows a reported increase in gay bashings as the Homosexual Law Reform bill moves through Parliament. |
| 11 Sep 1986 | Lesbian and Gay Rights Resource Centre is damaged by arson in Wellington |
| 12 Oct 1988 | Matthew Shepard is killed in Wyoming, United States |
| 24 Jan 1990 | Expatriate New Zealander Richard Johnson is murdered in Sydney by a gang of youths |
| 15 Apr 1991 | Alex Mihailovic and Dean Howard are convicted of the murder of New Zealander Richard Johnson in Australia Mihailovic and Howard were part of a gang of youths convicted of the murder |
| 2 Aug 1994 | Richard Leonard kills ex-Aucklander Stephen Dempsey with a crossbow. [Sydney, Australia] Leonard later claims it as was an act of self-defence after Dempsey propositioned him. Leonard was finally captured, tried and found guilty of two murders and sentenced to life in prison. Links: Forensic Investigators |
| 24 Apr 1995 | Tai Tahi Marsters attacks Jim Curtis causing brain injuries Marsters claimed Curtis made a sexual advance. A jury later found Marsters not guilty |
| Mar 1996 | Tai Tahi Marsters is acquitted of attempted murder and causing Jim Curtis grievous bodily harm |
| 4 Nov 1996 | Bryan James Gardner kills David Shore in a hotel room in Christchurch Convicted of murder, Gardener is sentenced to life imprisonment in May 1997 |
| 26 Mar 1997 | Awhina Centre is badly damaged by fire (suspected arson), Wellington |
| May 1997 | Patrick Clotworthy stabbs Wayne Cowan multiple times in a side street off Karangahape Road, Auckland He was sentenced to a 2 year suspended sentence, which was later increased to 3 years imprisonment |
| 26 May 1997 | Bryan James Gardner is sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering David Shore |
| 10 Nov 1997 | Richard Leonard is found guilty of killing Stephen Dempsey with a crossbow in 1994. [Sydney, Australia] Leonard claimed it was an act of self-defence after Dempsey propositioned him. Leonard was also found guilty of murdering a taxi driver. He was sentenced to life in prison. Links: Forensic Investigators |
| 3 Dec 1999 | Jason Meads and Stephen Smith are found guilty of murdering teenager Jeff Whittington |
| 19 Apr 2001 | Dallas Peneha, Daniel Beams and Jack Blance attack Jeff Pinfold and Peter Kitchen in Napier Kitchen died in hospital a number of days later |
| 18 Aug 2002 | A man is arrested in connection with the killing of John Rogers. [Tauranga, New Zealand] Rogers was found near a public domain toilet block in central Tauranga. Links: Gay NZ |
| 2003 | David McNee, an interior designer and former television host is killed The provocation defence is successfully used by Phillip Layton Edwards who is found guilty of manslaughter. Edwards was sentenced to nine years imprisonment. He is due for release in April 2012 |
| 18 Sep 2004 | Peter Wells writes about the killing of David McNee [(nationwide), New Zealand] Wells writes an article for the Listener about the trial of Phillip Layton Edwards who killed David McNee in Auckland. The article begins: Listening to a dead person being made responsible for their own violent death is an odd sensation. Later in the article Wells makes the point: It is impossible in New Zealand - and many other countries - to murder a homosexual. It is possible to be found guilty of manslaughter. The underlying message is that any homosexual's life is of little value Links: Listener |
| 2 Dec 2004 | A trans woman burglar is sent to a male prison. [New Zealand] |
| 5 Oct 2005 | Justin Dalley is found not guilty of criminal nuisance. [Wellington, New Zealand] Dalley used a condom during sex with a woman but didn't tell her of his HIV-positive status. It is the first time in New Zealand that anyone is charged with criminal nuisance following protected sexual intercourse. The case sets a significant legal precedent: that HIV-positive people can choose not to tell sexual partners about the virus, as long as they wear a condom. Links: NZ Herald |
| 26 Nov 2007 | The trial of Ashley Arnopp and Andre Gilling begins over the death of Stanley Waipouri. [Palmerston North, New Zealand] Arnopp and Gilling are charged with murdering Waipouri in Palmerston North on 23 December 2006. Links: Gay NZ |
| 3 Dec 2007 | During his trial, Ashley Arnopp pleads guilty to the murder of Palmerston North man Stanley Waipouri. [Palmerston North, New Zealand] Arnopp's co-accussed, Andre Gilling maintains his innocence. Links: Gay NZ |
| 6 Dec 2007 | There is a hung jury in the murder trial of Andre Gilling. [Palmerston North, New Zealand] Gilling, along with Ashley Arnopp, is on trial for the 2006 killing of Palmerston North man Stanley Waipouri. Co-accused Ashley Arnopp, 20, earlier changed his plea to guilty. Links: Gay NZ |
| 29 Apr 2009 | Diksy Jones is killed by two men in Disky's home in Upper Hutt Phillip Sanders and David Galloway were later found guilty of manslaughter |
| Jul 2009 | Ferdinand Ambach is convicted of the manslaughter of Ronald Brown Ambach was initially charged with murder, but the charge was downgraded after Ambach's lawyer successfully argued the provocation defence (gay panic) |
| 30 Nov 2009 | Glenn Mills is found dead in a remand cell. [Auckland, New Zealand] Mills was accused of purposely infecting a number of sex partners with HIV. He was awaiting trial at the time of his death. He faced 28 charges relating to 14 people. Links: TV3, Gay NZ |
| 5 Nov 2010 | Phillip Sanders and David Galloway are found guilty of the manslaughter of Diksy Jones Galloway was [finally] sentenced to nine years imprisonment, and Sanders nine years and six months |
| 16 Jan 2011 | A lesbian couple's business is burnt down in a continued serious of hate crimes at Mangawhai Heads |
| 7 Mar 2011 | Jason Meads is released from prison after serving a sentence for murdering Jeff Whittington in 1999 [New Zealand] Links: Stuff, Wikipedia |
| 25 Jun 2011 | Sitaleki Koloamatangi attacks Trevor Kaukau leaving him severely brain damaged. [Auckland, New Zealand] Koloamatangi is later sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Links: GayNZ, NZ Hearld |
| 3 Oct 2011 | A couple's car is targetted in an ongoing series of hate crimes at Mangawhai Heads |
| 19 Oct 2011 | Willie Ahsee is found guilty of the manslaughter of Denis Phillips |
| 10 Dec 2011 | Phillip Cottrell is assaulted while working home and subsequently dies, Wellington |
| 15 Dec 2011 | Willie Ahsee is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for the manslaughter of Denis Phillips |
| 23 Jan 2012 | Roman Skorek is stabbed to death in Kuirau Park, Rotorua Four young men were charged with his murder |
| 28 Feb 2012 | Nicholas Nitro is convicted on a charge of receiving commercial sexual services from a person aged sixteen Nitro is the co-owner of the Closet cruise club in Christchurch |
| 28 Feb 2012 | Sitaleki Koloamatangi is sentenced to 12 months in jail for attacking Trevor Kaukau Koloamatangi was charging with injuring that, had death been caused, he would have been guilty of manslaughter. Kaukau was left severely brain damaged |
| 11 Aug 2013 | Police search for Phillip Edwards after a child is abducted. [Auckland, New Zealand] In 2003 Edwards was found guilty of the manslaughter of interior decorator David McNee. Links: Gay NZ |
| 3 Sep 2013 | Phillip Edwards is arrested after a child was abducted in August and later found abandoned. [Auckland, New Zealand] In 2003 Edwards was found guilty of the manslaughter of interior decorator David McNee. Links: Gay NZ |
| 25 Sep 2013 | Correction Minister Anne Tolley announces that transgender prisoners will be housed according to their legal sex. [New Zealand] At the time of the announcement there were nine transgender offenders in the prison system. Links: Stuff |
| 30 Sep 2013 | A public meeting is held to discuss safety on Karangahape Road. [Auckland, New Zealand] The meeting follows an increase in violence towards rainbow people in the K'Road area. Links: K'rd Community Safety |
| 17 May 2017 | Chelsea Manning is released from US military prison [United States of America] Manning, a former US military intelligence analyst, was released after serving seven years in a US military prison for passing on classified documents to WikiLeaks. Manning's 35-year sentence was commuted by President Obama just before he left office. |
| 2 Jun 2017 | Dr David Lim is found guilty of stupefying and indecently assaulting patients [New Zealand] (Hastings) Links: stuff.co.nz |
| 18 Jul 2017 | Johnny Lumsden admits in court to endangering the health of three men by criminal nuisance [Christchurch, New Zealand] After lying about his HIV status, Lumsden has unprotected sex with three men he met through social media Links: Stuff |
| 18 Aug 2017 | Dr David Lim is sentenced to five years in prison for indecently assaulting five male patients [New Zealand] Dr Lim was sentenced in the Napier District Court |