Murder of Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen
Encyclopedia
Swedish tourists Sven Urban Höglin, 23, and his fiancée Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen, 21, disappeared while tramping
on the Coromandel Peninsula
of New Zealand
in 1989. Police, residents, and military personnel conducted the largest land-based search undertaken in New Zealand, attempting to find the couple. In December 1990, David Wayne Tamihere (born 1953) was convicted of murdering the pair, and sentenced to life imprisonment, despite the location of the bodies being unknown at the time of the trial. Höglin's body was discovered in 1991, and Tamihere filed a series of unsuccessful appeals during the 1990s. Though police argued he should not have been freed until he disclosed the site of Paakkonen's body, Tamihere was let out of jail on parole in November 2010.
, Sweden
went into the bush
near Thames
. They vanished and were reported missing in May. The disappearance led to an intense police investigation under the name Operation Stockholm, and attracted substantial media interest. Police, local residents, search and rescue and military personnel carried out the largest land-based search undertaken in New Zealand, performing grid-searches centred on Crosbie's Clearing, 12 km from Thames.
Tamihere, who had a prior conviction for manslaughter, and was a fugitive for skipping bail for a 1986 rape, admitted stealing the Subaru car belonging to the couple. He was arrested, and tried for their murder starting in October 1990. At the trial three witnesses (fellow inmates of Tamihere's, granted name suppression by the court) gave evidence that Tamihere had confessed the murder to them. Two trampers also identified Tamihere as a man they saw with a woman believed to be Paakkonen in a remote clearing. The court also heard Tamihere tied Höglin to a tree and sexually abused him before raping Paakkonen. In December 1990, the jury found Tamihere guilty of the murder and theft, and the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment with a 10-year non-parole period.
; Paakkonen's body has never been found. Höglin's body was recovered 73 km from where police alleged the murders took place. With the body was a watch which police claimed at his trial Tamihere had given to his son following the murders. Discovery of the body also contradicted the testimony of a prosecution witness who said Tamihere had confessed to cutting up the bodies and throwing them into the ocean. Tamihere made an appeal against his convictions to the Court of Appeal of New Zealand
, but the court reject the appeal in May 1992 on the basis the Crown had provided "convincing circumstantial proof". He was also denied leave to appeal to the Privy Council in 1994.
On 25 August 1995, one of the prosecution witnesses swore an affidavit attempting to recant evidence, and making allegations against the police of corruption and perverting the course of justice. The affidavit was released to Tamihere's counsel Murray Gibson and the media on 16 July 1996, and a Member of Parliament requested a ministerial inquiry into the case at Tamihere's behest. The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) conducted an inquiry, during which the witness withdrew the allegations of misconduct. After a thorough inquiry, the IPCA concluded that the police had not been guilty of any wrongdoing, and Minister of Justice Doug Graham
rejected a call for further inquiry into the case. In 1997, Tamihere then made an application to the United Nations
Human Rights Committee
, but the committee found his claims were not substantiated, and ruled the communication as inadmissible.
Tamihere had a prior conviction for the manslaughter of an Auckland stripper, 23-year-old Mary Barcham, whom he killed in 1972 when he was 18 by hitting her on the head with a rifle. In 1992 he was found guilty of assaulting a 62-year-old woman in her home in 1985 and also has a conviction for assaulting another woman in her home in the 1980s. Tamihere is the brother of former MP
John Tamihere
.
On 3 November 2010, David Tamihere was granted parole, to be released on 15 November.
show Inside New Zealand: What's Your Verdict? re-examined the case with a television jury in 2007.
Filmmaker Bryan Bruce
made a documentary Murder, They Said in 1996
examining the case, and wrote the book Hard Cases, which puts forward the theory Tamihere did not act alone, on the basis that as there were no defensive cuts to the bones of his hands, Höglin may have been held from behind while being stabbed from the front.
In 1999 Leanne Pooley
made a television documentary Relative Guilt about the impact on Tamihere's extended family of his arrest, trial and conviction. The documentary won Best Documentary at the 2000 Qantas Media Award
s.
Tramping in New Zealand
Tramping, known elsewhere as hiking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand.Tramping is defined as a recreational activity involving walking over rough country carrying all the required food and equipment...
on the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1989. Police, residents, and military personnel conducted the largest land-based search undertaken in New Zealand, attempting to find the couple. In December 1990, David Wayne Tamihere (born 1953) was convicted of murdering the pair, and sentenced to life imprisonment, despite the location of the bodies being unknown at the time of the trial. Höglin's body was discovered in 1991, and Tamihere filed a series of unsuccessful appeals during the 1990s. Though police argued he should not have been freed until he disclosed the site of Paakkonen's body, Tamihere was let out of jail on parole in November 2010.
Disappearance and trial
On 8 April 1989, backpacking tourists Höglin and Paakkonen from StorforsStorfors
Storfors is a locality and the seat of Storfors Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 2,442 inhabitants in 2005.Storfors specialises in the manufacturing of heavy wall pipes in standard and special grades for large project business in the oil, gas and chemical industries...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
went into the bush
The Bush
"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
near Thames
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
. They vanished and were reported missing in May. The disappearance led to an intense police investigation under the name Operation Stockholm, and attracted substantial media interest. Police, local residents, search and rescue and military personnel carried out the largest land-based search undertaken in New Zealand, performing grid-searches centred on Crosbie's Clearing, 12 km from Thames.
Tamihere, who had a prior conviction for manslaughter, and was a fugitive for skipping bail for a 1986 rape, admitted stealing the Subaru car belonging to the couple. He was arrested, and tried for their murder starting in October 1990. At the trial three witnesses (fellow inmates of Tamihere's, granted name suppression by the court) gave evidence that Tamihere had confessed the murder to them. Two trampers also identified Tamihere as a man they saw with a woman believed to be Paakkonen in a remote clearing. The court also heard Tamihere tied Höglin to a tree and sexually abused him before raping Paakkonen. In December 1990, the jury found Tamihere guilty of the murder and theft, and the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment with a 10-year non-parole period.
Appeals
In October 1991, ten months after the conviction, pig hunters discovered the body of Höglin near WhangamataWhangamata
The town of Whangamata is sited on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres north of Waihi, to the north of the western extremity of the Bay of Plenty....
; Paakkonen's body has never been found. Höglin's body was recovered 73 km from where police alleged the murders took place. With the body was a watch which police claimed at his trial Tamihere had given to his son following the murders. Discovery of the body also contradicted the testimony of a prosecution witness who said Tamihere had confessed to cutting up the bodies and throwing them into the ocean. Tamihere made an appeal against his convictions to the Court of Appeal of New Zealand
Court of Appeal of New Zealand
The Court of Appeal of New Zealand, located in Wellington, is New Zealand’s principal intermediate appellate court. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather than in the Supreme Court...
, but the court reject the appeal in May 1992 on the basis the Crown had provided "convincing circumstantial proof". He was also denied leave to appeal to the Privy Council in 1994.
On 25 August 1995, one of the prosecution witnesses swore an affidavit attempting to recant evidence, and making allegations against the police of corruption and perverting the course of justice. The affidavit was released to Tamihere's counsel Murray Gibson and the media on 16 July 1996, and a Member of Parliament requested a ministerial inquiry into the case at Tamihere's behest. The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) conducted an inquiry, during which the witness withdrew the allegations of misconduct. After a thorough inquiry, the IPCA concluded that the police had not been guilty of any wrongdoing, and Minister of Justice Doug Graham
Doug Graham
Sir Douglas Arthur Montrose "Doug" Graham KNZM is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party.-Early life:...
rejected a call for further inquiry into the case. In 1997, Tamihere then made an application to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Human Rights Committee
Human Rights Committee
The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a United Nations body of 18 experts that meets three times a year for four-week sessions to consider the five-yearly reports submitted by 162 UN member states on their compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,...
, but the committee found his claims were not substantiated, and ruled the communication as inadmissible.
Tamihere had a prior conviction for the manslaughter of an Auckland stripper, 23-year-old Mary Barcham, whom he killed in 1972 when he was 18 by hitting her on the head with a rifle. In 1992 he was found guilty of assaulting a 62-year-old woman in her home in 1985 and also has a conviction for assaulting another woman in her home in the 1980s. Tamihere is the brother of former MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
John Tamihere
John Tamihere
John Henry Tamihere is a New Zealand media personality and former politician. He served as a Cabinet minister in the governing Labour Party from August 2002 to 3 November 2004.-Early life:...
.
On 3 November 2010, David Tamihere was granted parole, to be released on 15 November.
Cultural influence
The TV3TV3 (New Zealand)
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
show Inside New Zealand: What's Your Verdict? re-examined the case with a television jury in 2007.
Filmmaker Bryan Bruce
Bryan Bruce
Bryan Bruce is an award winning documentary maker and author. Born in Scotland in 1948, his family emigrated to New Zealand in 1956. He grew up in Christchurch and attended the University of Canterbury where he graduated with an M.A. in Sociology and Philosophy...
made a documentary Murder, They Said in 1996
examining the case, and wrote the book Hard Cases, which puts forward the theory Tamihere did not act alone, on the basis that as there were no defensive cuts to the bones of his hands, Höglin may have been held from behind while being stabbed from the front.
In 1999 Leanne Pooley
Leanne Pooley
Leanne Pooley was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, she immigrated to New Zealand in the mid-1980s and began working in the New Zealand television industry....
made a television documentary Relative Guilt about the impact on Tamihere's extended family of his arrest, trial and conviction. The documentary won Best Documentary at the 2000 Qantas Media Award
Qantas Media Award
The New Zealand Newspaper Publishers’ Association awards are annual New Zealand media awards recognising excellence in the news print media. The first awards were held in 1974 giving out awards for news photography and have expanded to include many disciplines of journalism. The awards are...
s.