Slain New Zealand father kept bushland hideout with weapons, police say

Tom Phillips was changeable dormant by constabulary aft astir 4 years connected the tally with his 3 children.

A New Zealand begetter who was killed by constabulary portion connected the tally with his 3 children had been hiding astatine a makeshift bushland campsite stocked with weapons and ammunition, constabulary person said.

Tom Phillips, who absconded with his 3 children successful 2021 amid a custody quality with his erstwhile partner, was killed connected Monday aft being confronted by constabulary pursuing a burglary successful the agrarian municipality of Piopio.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4ICC opens warfare crimes proceeding against Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony
• list 2 of 4Global Sumud Flotilla reports drone onslaught connected Gaza-bound vessel successful Tunisia
• list 3 of 4Australian PM says Vanuatu security, clime statement delayed
• list 4 of 4Palestinians connected borderline arsenic Israel ramps up raids successful aftermath of Jerusalem attack

Police accidental they changeable Phillips dormant aft helium opened occurrence connected officers, leaving 1 with captious injuries.

Phillips’ children – aged 12, 10 and 9 – were safely recovered by authorities.

New Zealand Police connected Tuesday released images of the campsite wherever they accidental Phillips and his children had been holed up earlier his fatal brushwood with police.

Police said “several” firearms were recovered from the campsite located successful “dense bush” successful Waitomo, a agrarian assemblage located astir 190km (120 miles) southbound of Auckland, on with 3 guns that were recovered astatine the country of the shootout.

Two quad bikes were besides recovered astatine the campsite.

Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said officers had spent years considering however to champion grip the concern arsenic they were alert that Phillips was “armed,” “dangerous” and “motivated”.

“We were assured that, irrespective of however hard we tried to bring it to a peaceful conclusion, that with a motivated idiosyncratic that was ever going to beryllium a challenge,” Chambers told a quality conference.

“And that has informed the mode that we person dealt with this substance implicit the 4 years.”

Chambers said Philips, who was facing robbery and different charges, and his children had moved astir frequently, making it hard to pin down their whereabouts.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said officers had been astatine pains to bring the concern to a decision without immoderate nonaccomplishment of life.

“You had a father, successful Mr Phillips, who, successful my view, had nary respect for the information of those children. He seemed to beryllium solely motivated successful presumption of what helium wanted to bash and however things were impacting him,” Mitchell said.

Philips’s disappearance from the distant assemblage of Marokop with his children in December 2021 gripped New Zealand and generated headlines worldwide.

Despite sightings implicit the years and appeals by his family, Philips was capable to repeatedly frustrate the efforts of constabulary to bring him into custody.

In the astir caller sighting past month, Philips and 1 of his children were identified by authorities successful information camera footage of 2 individuals breaking into a agrarian store.