Father stunned by triple killer's return

Renato Poli

Renato Poli cannot believe the man who slit the throats of his 21-year-old daughter and two young granddaughters is living in the same town as him, but is even more appalled that he has been working door-to-door as a Census collector.

"God almighty, I haven't seen him since ... I thought he was in Te Kuiti."

In 1993 John Te Huia - then known as Stanley Smith - had delusions that he was going to be killed, his body cut in to parts and put in a freezer.

The mental illness made him kill his partner, Angelina Poli, daughter Natalia, 18 months, and stepdaughter Tiana, 4. The family were living in a part of Hamilton known as Poet's Corner.

Te Huia was convicted of the triple killing, but on appeal was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

He has since been released from a mental health facility and is being reintegrated into the community, including gaining employment delivering Census forms.

Te Huia delivered forms in the Hamilton suburb of Melville - news that came as a shock to an angry and upset Mr Poli.

"I still think the bloody Italian way. I've got friends in Melville, and if they recognised him they wouldn't be too happy. If I see him I might just lose my na-na and run him over."

Te Huia resigned from his Census-collecting job on Wednesday, after it was found that he had failed to disclose information relating to his job.

The employment material included a declaration of previous criminal convictions, although technically he was found not guilty of the murders.

Yesterday the Government Statistician, Brian Pink, said Statistics New Zealand was confident there had been no risk to households in the area where Te Huia was working.

Census area manager Judy Cartwright defended Te Huia and initially said she intended to continue employing him. She asked how long he should be "crucified" when he had already suffered for 13 years.

Efforts to contact Te Huia yesterday were unsuccessful.

The Waikato District Health Board general manager of mental health, Chris Harris, said Te Huia had no desire to attract "this level of publicity."

"In our view John has gone through an extensive rehabilitation programme, and it's an indication of the success of that programme that he's able to live in the community for six or seven days a week."

It is understood that Te Huia spends six days a week at a community house and is no longer on medication. Once a week he visits the hospital board's Henry Bennett Centre.

Mr Harris said caregivers would now have to spend time rebuilding Te Huia's confidence, and demonstrate to him that he was capable of taking part in the community again.

"When the media scrutiny comes on him he's likely to retreat."

Hamilton was Te Huia's "natural community," Mr Harris said.

"The situation that occurred 13 years ago may be significantly different to the situation that occurs now in terms of his wellness and being able to interact in the community."

In a statement the district health board said it would be of grave concern if intense media interest about an individual's past caused others in the community to deny them the opportunity to any basic human rights.

"Patients have strictly controlled leave conditions which are monitored in consultation with the Ministry of Health. Integration into the community is graduated in a slow and careful manner."