A request for a cigarette ended with a Dunedin teen in hospital and a man allegedly weilding a meat cleaver in police custody.

An elderly woman has been left bruised and shaken after escaping through a window during a "cowardly" attack in her home.

An 18-year-old was stabbed in the chest in the early hours of this morning by a man who was wielding a meat cleaver and a kitchen knife.

On Thursday night, while Jesse Ryder lay in intensive care in Christchurch Hospital after a savage and apparently random beating that has left him fighting for his life, I drove home from work just after midnight.

The man charged with murdering pregnant woman Rae Portman has pleaded not guilty, and will face trial later this year.

A New Zealand man accused of a horrific attack on a sex worker in Canada could serve time in a New Zealand jail if he is convicted and extradited.

A man charged with a horrific sex attack in Canada cut off his electronic bracelet and fled New Zealand on a false passport while on bail.

A Kiwi accused of dragging a sex worker behind a van in a "horrific" attack in Canada is believed to have fled there after removing his electronic monitoring bracelet while on home detention in NZ.

The man charged with kidnapping Rae Portman was her pallbearer and bestfriend's husband.

Christine Bristol's husband killed himself and their 3 daughters, a tragedy resulting in a law protecting kids of violent relationships. A new bill could change that.

A New Zealander has been charged over the alleged abduction of a sex worker in Canada where a woman was tied up and dragged behind a van.

Road construction worker George Taiaroa who was shot dead by a passing motorist this week was farewelled by whanau and friends today.

A teenager accused of murdering Ashburton mother Sina Solomona has pleaded not guilty in Youth Court today.

The former army commando who murdered New Zealander Charles Jones in Thailand has been sentenced to nine years and five months in jail.

Police broadly do the best they can, but are continually let down by soft-touch judges and the mental health system.

Two women have been charged with the murder of Indian immigrant Amandeep Singh in Gisborne.

A Taupo dairy farmer charged with intentionally injuring an Ironman cyclist in an alleged road rage attack reappeared in the Taupo District Court today.

Three prison guards in Fiji have been sacked over a video of detainees being beaten and tortured.

A Hamilton teen who claims police pushed her to the ground before dragging her face down from a party has complained to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.