"I felt scared, devastated and very upset," Hammett said. "It's not fair that I have to live in fear."
Tipene was sentenced to 10 years' jail for the 2009 rape, kidnapping and robbery of two European tourists in Southland.
Hammett told prison officials she didn't want any further contact with Tipene in 2009. Despite this, she continued to receive letters from him in jail.
Corrections officials admitted in a letter to Hammett that the failure appeared to have been the result of poor communication when Tipene was moved between units.
"He tried to manipulate me in his letters," Hammett said. "It was a lot of feeling sorry himself and trying to persuade me that it was the drugs and he's not like that and our son can't be without a father."
Corrections finally ordered that all Tipene's mail go through the prison manager at Milton. In an email discussing the botch-ups, a Corrections officer at Paparua said: "I feel embarrassed professionally that we cannot stop this prisoner from continuing to interfere with this woman's life."
In 2012, Hammett was contacted by Jamieson on Facebook, despite by then using a pseudonym in her online profiles. She believes Tipene recruited Jamieson, who was convicted for a gang-related manslaughter, to find her online.
"He sent a friend request to me and I accepted it. Then a week later I thought 'I wonder who this is?"'
Hammett believes a relative revealed which pseudonym she was using.
Corrections rules state that prisoners are not allowed to use computers with internet access.
"On John's page, people were saying 'How are you on Facebook, aren't you in prison'?" Hammett says. "It's a scam: [John's friend] actually made the page so John can make contact with people he's not allowed to."
Hammett contacted police about Jamieson's Facebook page, but was told nothing could be done about it.
In January last year, Hammett received a text from Tipene which stated, "Please don't be angry that I'm ringing and texting. If you don't want me to I won't." When officers raided his cell the following day, they found a phone battery and charger.
Corrections refused to answer questions from the Herald on Sunday on how the breaches occurred, treating requests for information under the Official Information Act.
Crims tap into web
Incidents show how prisoners are affecting the lives of those outside. In June last year the Herald on Sunday revealed that a Facebook page, "Mean-Breed Hardcore Crimz of Paremoremo Maximum Security Prison in Auckland NZ", had been run by Nikki Tata from outside to seek lovers for prisoners.
Mt Eden Prison said prisoners used an intranet food ordering system to access the internet. And rapist Allan Titford ran a mayoral campaign online while in custody.
In 2010, prisoner Nikki Roper manipulated former girlfriend Alexsis Tovizi with threats of vengeance. Roper subsequently murdered Tovizi.
