KEY POINTS:
Two dogs that fatally mauled Murupara woman Virginia Ohlson began fighting each other after attacking her and ran around as she lay unconscious because their owner was not home.
The dogs' owner, Shane "Spider" Rurehe, who is a relative of Ms Ohlson, yesterday plead guilty to two charges of owning bull mastiff crosses that seriously injured a person.
Court documents revealed that Rurehe had untied one of the unregistered male dogs to deter people from entering his property just a few hours before the attack.
The documents also showed that he and his partner both left home without securing the dogs, despite knowing the animals had a history of fighting, and the property had no fence at the back or gate at the front.
The dogs, named Patu and Malibu, attacked Ms Ohlson, 56, as she walked past the house on April 21. She died of shock and blood loss in an ambulance on the way to Rotorua Hospital.
New details about the extent of her injuries also emerged at the Rotorua District Court.
Among the injuries inflicted by the dogs was a 8cm x 8cm cavity in Ms Ohlson's left calf, where the muscle was torn from the bone.
She also had three circular bruises on her calves about 8cm in diameter and four puncture wounds, each 1.5cm deep.
There were two similar injuries on her buttocks, and separate lacerations on her left hand and ankles that were up to 4cm long and 3cm deep.
An autopsy found the cause of death was "multiple dog bites [laceration, puncture wounds and bruising] leading to significant shock and haemorrhage".
At yesterday's hearing Judge James Weir referred Rurehe to social services to undergo a restorative justice programme.
The charges he admitted carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Rurehe was supported by a large contingent of whanau, including other relatives of Ms Ohlson and a man who addressed the judge.
"Kia ora, bro," Tawhai Te Rupe said to get the judge's attention. "I've been asked to come along by the family to represent Spider."
Rurehe's lawyer, Olivia Brittain, had already asked the judge for a referral to the court's social services provider, Mana Social Services, saying restorative justice was appropriate "given the unusual nature of the charges and the fact they are quite emotionally charged and there are whanau connections".
But Mr Te Rupe said the Rurehe and Ohlson families had already carried out their own restorative justice session at Kaingaroa Marae, and asked to make submissions on Rurehe's behalf.
However, Judge Weir said a more appropriate time for such submissions was Rurehe's next appearance on August 13.
Police initially said he could face a manslaughter charge but after results of forensic tests laid charges under the Dog Control Act.
Rurehe was said to have been co-operative with police from the start and immediately consented to the dogs being destroyed upon learning Ms Ohlson had died.
According to the court documents, Rurehe left for work at 3.45am that morning and let Malibu off because he heard youths in a reserve behind his house and wanted to deter them from entering the property. Patu was already untied.
"He [Rurehe] conceded that the dogs may have been seen by other people as aggressive but said that the only trouble he had from them was a propensity for them to fight with each other," the documents said.
Ms Ohlson, an adult student who lived down the road, was walking past to catch her regular wananga bus to Rotorua when she was attacked about 6.45am.
Rurehe's mother, who lived next door, heard screaming and found Ms Ohlson standing outside injured.
"At this point, the witness [Rurehe's mother] noticed the dogs were now fighting with each other, about 3m from the victim," the documents said.
Rurehe's mother went inside to get towels to stem the flow of blood from Ms Ohlson's wounds but by the time she returned Ms Ohlson had collapsed, and the dogs continued roaming the area near her unconscious body.
Other neighbours came to help and police and ambulance were called, and the dogs tied up.
Rurehe declined to comment after the court hearing, but Mr Te Rupe said he was "still shattered".
"By pleading guilty today, he has accepted his responsibilities," he said. "He's sick of dogs."
