A jury in Whangārei has found 61-year-old Abel Wira guilty of manslaughter after his pack of dogs fatally mauled his friend, Neville Thomson, in Panguru in 2022—the first conviction of its kind in New Zealand.
Wira had been living in a caravan on Thomson’s property with 21 dogs, including several known to be aggressive, and left them unfed for two days before they escaped and attacked Thomson.
The jury unanimously ruled that Wira’s gross failure as a dog owner led to Thomson’s death.
Wira now faces sentencing, with manslaughter carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Image credit: Getty Images
A failed people
A liability
Never an asset
Some people don’t deserve dogs, cats or animals of any size, shape or description!
The problem is as with people
Breed mixing