{"id":557377,"date":"2026-08-03T09:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/557377\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T09:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:25:09","slug":"bus-hub-killer-assaulted-another-boy-in-lock-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/557377\/","title":{"rendered":"Bus hub killer assaulted another boy in lock-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

The teenager who stabbed a schoolboy to death at Dunedin\u2019s bus hub seriously assaulted another boy in the period since, the Parole Board has heard.<\/p>\n

Early release was declined and the 15-year-old will be in custody until at least January, the board ruled.<\/p>\n

The teen was initially jailed for three years three months after a jury before the High Court at Dunedin found him guilty of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Trinity College pupil Enere McLaren-Taana.<\/p>\n

However, the Court of Appeal reduced the term to two years seven months in a judgement released in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The court found the teen \u2013 who has been granted permanent name suppression – had no intention to kill Enere and was acting in response to provocation and in self defence.<\/p>\n

The characterisation has angered the victim\u2019s family and they told the Parole Board at a recent hearing that they feel \u201clet down by the justice system\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are strongly opposed to being released on parole, they do not accept is remorseful,\u201d panel convener Ann-Marie Beveridge said.<\/p>\n

The defendant was described as \u201cgenerally polite and respectful\u201d in one report but the board heard he had been involved in two incidents, six months apart, at the youth-justice residence where he was incarcerated.<\/p>\n

The most recent, in April, involved the teen assaulting another boy.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The defendant] had to be restrained and was moved into secure care. An ambulance was called for the victim,\u201d Ms Beveridge said.<\/p>\n

There was no description of what occurred in October but the board noted the teenager had also been the victim of an attack while at the residence.<\/p>\n

He was younger than many others placed there and was assessed as \u201cnot having developed a criminal mindset”.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Enere McLaren-Taana. File photo <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Enere and his killer did not know one another but had a chance encounter at the city\u2019s bus hub on May 23, 2024.<\/p>\n

The victim made a comment about the boy\u2019s clothing which resulted in a stand-off on the pavement.<\/p>\n

CCTV played at trial showed the defendant reached into a shoulder bag and brandish a large kitchen knife.<\/p>\n

Enere retreated into Great King St, aiming a roundhouse kick as the other boy pursued, slashing with the blade.<\/p>\n

After missing with one blow, the defendant struck with the second, severing a major vein.<\/p>\n

The Parole Board heard the 15-year-old no longer had a valid visa and was eligible for deportation.<\/p>\n

However, the family had lodged an appeal on humanitarian grounds.<\/p>\n

The board said the teen had received \u201cvery positive\u201d school reports, had gained 58 NCEA credits and had expressed a desire to engage in tertiary education in future.<\/p>\n

A psychological report recommended the defendant\u2019s academic interests be nurtured.<\/p>\n

The clinician also advised he needed to \u201cdevelop pro social peer relationships, to develop emotional regulation, distress tolerance strategies and reflect on his behaviours to identify patterns, core beliefs and \u2018automatic thoughts\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

The board was advised the teen not be moved to a prison youth wing because of his susceptibility to negative influences.<\/p>\n

Ms Beveridge said the altercations in the youth residence involving the teenager had been explained to a degree but she stressed similar incidents may occur if he was released.<\/p>\n

The board needed to be confident the defendant would not respond violently.<\/p>\n

\u201c[He] needs to develop an awareness of his early warning signs, his high-risk situations, and an understanding of his coping plan. He needs to practice those coping skills and be aware of what he needs to do if his wellbeing is deteriorating,\u201d Ms Beveridge said.<\/p>\n

A decision on the defendant\u2019s deportation appeal was expected in the coming months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The teenager who stabbed a schoolboy to death at Dunedin\u2019s bus hub seriously assaulted another boy in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":557378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-557377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=557377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=557377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}