Queen St crime: Auckland lawyer Olinda Woodroffe no longer feels safe after apartment homicide

An Auckland lawyer says she no longer feels safe working on Queen St following a string of crimes this month, including the alleged stabbing-to-death of a man across the road from her.

Police launched a homicide investigation on Wednesday after the death of a 70-year-old man at an apartment complex on Upper Queen St. He was named on Friday as Herbert Bradley.

A 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested and appeared in the Auckland District Court on Thursday, jointly charged with the murder.

Lawyer Olinda Woodroffe has worked in her current office on Queen St for 20 years, but has studied and worked on the street in other spots for 35 years.

“I’ve always worked on Queen St, you know? I felt safe in Queen St. I don’t now, I’m scared.”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said people should feel safe in the central city and that things “had to change”.

Woodroffe’s office is opposite where a man was allegedly stabbed to death in the middle of the day on Wednesday.

“I love walking around the block there, but that thing [the homicide] there, was a bit of a shock,” she said.

“I didn’t see anything until my students, who are staff members who normally come in the afternoon, called me and said, ‘We can’t come, we can’t park the car’.

“They said, somebody was [attacked] across the road from us from [the office].”

Olinda Woodroffe worries about the safety of herself and her colleagues working on Queen St. Photo / Michael Craig

When Woodroffe looked out the window she said there were five police cars and two ambulances on the street at the scene.

“When I saw that, I was shaking.

“I thought, oh my god, shall I sell my law office? I don’t want to come in and I’m scared to go to the car park, but sometimes I have to work late if I have a court case.

”But this happened during the day.”

The 35-year-old man charged with the murder is listed on court documents as living at the same Upper Queen St property that became a crime scene.

“We [also] heard about the one at the end of Queen St,” Woodroffe said about another homicide that occurred on the road recently.

Police are still looking for 24-year-old Dariush Talagi, who is wanted for murder after police allege he shot two people on August 3 at about 11.30pm.

Sione Tuuholoaki, 26, died in the shooting and police are now looking for a woman they believe is helping Talagi, who is also wanted for causing grievous bodily harm.

Woodroffe said she feared for her young staff members and wanted to speak about the violence on the street because she had a “duty to protect them”.

Police investigate at an apartment building on Upper Queen St where a man was found with serious injuries and later died in hospital. Photo / Raphael Franks

She felt the street was safer when she was studying and living in the area in the late 80s and early 90s when she was using public transport and walking to classes.

“It was safe, at the time I felt safe.”

Brown said all residents, workers and visitors should feel safe when visiting the city centre.

“That is not the case and it has to change.

“I have had several constructive discussions with Police Minister Ginny Andersen and we are aligned about improving safety in Auckland and the need for a joined-up approach. We know we need to act fast because the current situation just isn’t acceptable.

“We are looking at options and I hope to see more action very soon.”

Last month, two people were killed by a gunman who stormed a Queen St building site, in an incident that made international headlines.

The gunman died in a lift shaft after shooting several civilians and at least one police officer in the high-rise construction site.

“But having that happen on Queen St it really now makes me very nervous and uncomfortable,” said Woodroffe.

“It’s not the Queen St I used to know.”

The incident across from Woodroffe’s work was one of two unrelated homicides in central Auckland that day.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said having a safe city centre was important.

She wanted police to be more visible on the streets, better management of emergency and transitional housing, and “a cross-agency approach to ensure there are specialist services like mental health available, which will also help free up police time”.

Police also launched a homicide investigation after a man died at the Off Broadway Motel on Alpers Ave on Wednesday night.

A teenager accused of murdering the man at the Epsom motel appeared in court on Thursday, denying the charge.

Jaime Lyth is an Auckland-based reporter who covers crime. She joined the Herald in 2021 and has previously reported for The Northern Advocate. Raphael Franks contributed reporting for this story.