Parmita Rani, stabbed in front of a class full of students

We’re saddened to learn of the stabbing death of a female student at an Auckland international school on Queen St, Auckland earlier today.

The young Indian woman was at the college to sit an exam, when a 29 year old Auckland man stabbed her to death. A 22 year old man was also seriously injured during the frenzied attack, alleged to have taken place in a crowded class room.

A woman from the building said she heard three people arguing heatedly on the first floor of the building, before getting in the lift and heading to the second floor, where the assaults allegedly took place.

Not long after, having been alerted to the incident, she travelled up in the lift herself and saw the woman prone in the hallway just outside the lift. “There was lots of blood,” she said. “She was unconscious. I think she was dying.” “When the lift opened we just saw the woman. She was lying down on the floor with the knife [nearby].”…

A staff member at the school, who did not want to be named, said he had seen the alleged killer at the school before the attack.  He had arrived and waited for the female, who was sitting an exam. After that the man had staged his attack, he said. Although he didn’t witness the incident himself, he had been told by other staff and students that the stabber did not try to escape.

The dead woman is understood to be an IT student from India. The man who stabbed her is also understood to be from India.  “She was a good student,” the man said, “a brilliant student. She was studying IT. She had finished her first year and had enrolled for her second year…” read more at Stuff.co.nz

Unconfirmed reports reports say the school is AWI International Education Group.

Name suppression remains for Blesilda Gotingco’s murderer

Meanwhile, the Auckland man found guilty for the rape and stabbing murder of Filipino migrant Blesilda Gotingco has maintained his right to name suppression, while he launches an appeal. The offender, who is believed to have previous convictions, was under supervision at the time of Ms Gotingco’s murder and wearing an ankle monitoring device. The Crown has indicated it’ll seek a sentence of preventive detention on the rape charge. More here LINK

Name suppression for son of NZ ‘rich lister’

And finally, an 18 year old Otago University student has also been awarded name suppression. The man is accused of repeatedly punching a female police officer in the head during a drunken altercation in city bar, popular with students. He is also to have assaulted his female companion and a campus security person. The reason for his name suppression is…believe it or not…his father is rich and publishing his name could be “prejudicial”.

…documents contend the man punched a hole in a security window at the bar about 11pm, after becoming “enraged by a derogatory comment” a friend made about his girlfriend. A heated argument between the man and his girlfriend allegedly followed.

When an Otago University campus security guard intervened, the man allegedly punched him in the face. The security guard fell to his knees and the man kneed him in the face, the summary alleged. The man was restrained on the ground when a passing police patrol intervened. The summary of facts contends the man, “struggling violently”, then punched the female police officer in the face. He punched the officer three or four times, the summary of facts alleges…

But questions from the Herald on Sunday caused his lawyers to file an application for interim name suppression. On Tuesday Judge Anne Kiernan ordered that the man’s name be kept secret for the next three weeks. Judge Kiernan found publishing his name could prejudice his right to a fair trial.

The man is due to reappear in court next month. He is expected to enter a plea and a case to continue his name suppression will be considered. In 2010 a Law Commission report reworked the laws for suppressing names and evidence. The report found there are no grounds for suppression based solely on the fact a defendant is well known.

More here – Wake Up NZ