Spurned wife on trial for murder with axe

The wife of a renowned Samoan tattooist axed him to death after learning he planned to dump her for a new Swedish lover, a court hearing has been told.

The Crown alleges that Epifania Sulu'ape, aged 53, repeatedly smashed the blunt end of an axe into her husband Paulo's head last November after he admitted falling in love with a woman named Heidi Hay.

Tattooists John Bahn and Jason Davey told a murder hearing in the Otahuhu District Court that Mr Sulu'ape met the Swede during a sojourn in Europe.

He brought Ms Hay back to New Zealand, took her to a tattooing convention four days before his death, and stayed with her in a hotel while plotting to ditch his wife.

Mr Sulu'ape's bloody body was found behind his Otara home on November 25, in the back room of the sleepout where he worked.

The court heard that Mr Sulu'ape flew overseas in mid-1998 for three weeks and visited several European countries, including Spain.

He was credited with spreading the traditional art of Pe'a tattooing around the world.

Ms Hay flew to New Zealand on November 16 last year. Mr Bahn said Mr Sulu'ape told him he had fallen in love and was going to stay with her.

Mr Davey said Mr Sulu'ape told his wife about his lover a couple of months before he died. Mr Sulu'ape later asked Mr Davey to take his tattooing tools back to the Velvet Cres home where his family still lived - except for a knife with a sharp 30cm blade "because his wife was very upset."

Defence lawyer Greg King suggested that Mr Sulu'ape took frequent overseas trips and asked what arrangements he made to look after his family while away.

Mr Davey replied that Mr Sulu'ape told him he left enough money for his family. However, Mr Davey sometimes gave $50 or $100 to the accused while her husband was away because she pleaded that she needed money for her children.

Velvet Cres resident Max Tapu described being woken by Mr Sulu'ape's distressed daughter early on November 25 and following her next door to the sleepout.

"I saw the body of Paulo Sulu'ape on the floor. He was on his back. I noticed blood on his face, dry blood," Mr Tapu said. "There was also a pool of blood at the back of his head."

Mr Sulu'ape's daughter knelt over the cold body and wept.

"She just said 'dad, dad'," Mr Tapu said.

Forensic scientist Penelope Costello said yesterday that she found bloody footprints between the back door of the main house and a bedroom inside. The room contained bloodstained shoes and a bucket of bloody clothes.

A 91cm axe had blood on its blunt end consistent with hitting an object at least twice.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Pat O'Driscoll, she said there was no evidence the sharp end of the axe was used, and a blanket found near the body was consistent with attempts to stem blood-flow.