Found Safe New Zealand - Tom Phillips, 34, shot/deceased; his 3 children who were with him found alive

[Absoluterubbish]

Those poor children. Ripped from their mommy and then dragged into this chaos, utterly dependent on him in the cruelest of ways. Stockholm Syndrome territory. Their own father, their captor, forced into raw dependence on him for the lowest level of the hierarchy of needs. Four years, it's unfathomable.

Robbed of so much childhood.

JMO

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with every other part of your statement, they weren't ripped from their Mummy as she didn't have custody of them.

 

[Dotta]

Why is this strange, him and the kids would need shoes?

Does OP mean he went to the shoe shop and bought them?

 

[LittleSeaTree]

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with every other part of your statement, they weren't ripped from their Mummy as she didn't have custody of them.

They were in each other’s lives, weren’t they? Genuine fact check, as I thought that they did spend time together

 

[Absoluterubbish]

Does OP mean he went to the shoe shop and bought them?

Not sure. PGG Wrightson would sell some type of footwear, boots etc.

I haven't read the article but it doesn't seem surprising with me that he had shoe boxes on the quad after that burglary. Im sure the commissioner said yesterday there were items of clothing on there too.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

They were in each other’s lives, weren’t they? Genuine fact check, as I thought that they did spent time together

Im not sure on that sorry. I am sure they were but I just mean they weren't literally ripped from her as she didn't have custody. I think she was given back custody just before he went on the run the second time and that's why he took off. I don't know this for sure though.

 

[Dotta]

Not sure. PGG Wrightson would sell some type of footwear, boots etc.

I haven't read the article but it doesn't seem surprising with me that he had shoe boxes on the quad after that burglary. Im sure the commissioner said yesterday there were items of clothing on there too.

I cannot say as I don't know New Zealand shops' brands
(I live on another continent hehe)

But why were Police surprised by these boxes of shoes
IF
as OP says they could have been burgled from this specific shop??

I have NO idea.

But, ummm...
their surprise is a fact.
After all,
Police Officer used the word "strange",
as reported by DM.

JMO

 

[Absoluterubbish]

I cannot say as I don't know Australian shops' brands
(I live on another continent hehe)

But why were Police surprised by these boxes of shoes
IF
as OP says they could have been burgled from this specific shop??

I have NO idea.

But, ummm...
their surprise is a fact.
After all,
Police Officer used the word "strange",
as reported by DM.

JMO

New Zealand not Australia

 

[Dotta]

New Zealand not Australia

Ooops!!!
I'm editing it NOW
Aaaaargh

Sorry to all Kiwis

 

[vls12345]

Watch: 'Have people purchased them for him?' - Police probe items found at fugitive dad's campsite

Police are expected to give more updates today.

www.nzherald.co.nz

• Police revealed this morning Phillips' eldest daughter Jayda helped police gain the trust of her two siblings so they could safely access the remote Waikato campsite they were hiding in.

 

[sapphire blue]

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with every other part of your statement, they weren't ripped from their Mummy as she didn't have custody of them.

She may not have had custody of them, they were ripped away from their mother, along with their family and friends, considering their father took off with them AGAIN, AFTER he lost custody. And it has been reported previously by police that the disappearance was due to a custody dispute with their mother.

Her not having custody does not equal not having a parental relationship with the children (there is a photo of her with the children). His actions were deliberate, to cause the children to be alienated from their mother, and that in itself is a sign of abuse IMO.

 

[Cascadia Mount]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1965533783228060061

Police have revealed one key detail they can't explain after making a strange discovery on Tom Phillips' quad bike.

A collection of shoeboxes was found on it.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers on Wednesday admitted the boxes of shoes were a 'very interesting' detail.

'We know that Mr Phillips has been the suspect in a number of burglaries.

At the moment,
one of the things that we'll be doing is obviously connecting the dots
and trying to better understand where equipment, clothing, whatever it may be, has come from',
he said.

'Our investigation will help determine what other modes of transport he may have used
or others may have helped with',
Commissioner Chambers said.

View attachment 613624

A police officer shot by Phillips during the standoff suffered severe head injuries
(pictured, the scene of the shooting on Tuesday)."

along with no tent or blankets. those poor kids

 

[Cascadia Mount]

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with every other part of your statement, they weren't ripped from their Mummy as she didn't have custody of them.

Even if that is true they still had visitation. They were taken from their Mom and the rest of their familiy.

 

[Cascadia Mount]

She may not have had custody of them, they were ripped away from their mother, along with their family and friends, considering their father took off with them AGAIN, AFTER he lost custody. And it has been reported previously by police that the disappearance was due to a custody dispute with their mother.

Her not having custody does not equal not having a parental relationship with the children (there is a photo of her with the children). His actions were deliberate, to cause the children to be alienated from their mother, and that in itself is a sign of abuse IMO.

Exactly. Whatever the custody situation was those kids had a relationship with their mother and were stolen from her.

 

[table legs]

The whole situation is a shambles. The people who have helped him have supported an absolutely disgusting man who has condemned ALL these children to a lifetime of heartache. One day, when they’re old enough to look on the internet and piece it all together, they’ll have to face the truth about who their father really is.

Everyone who enabled him should be held financially responsible for the trauma ALL of these children will carry for the rest of their lives. And when the truth is fully out, a lot of people are going to feel deeply embarrassed about the part they played.

 

[table legs]

Exactly. Whatever the custody situation was those kids had a relationship with their mother and were stolen from her.

Their mother, their other siblings, and other extended family. There will be a village of people who miss and love them. Their mother may not have been the best but she also probably had to live with his absolute need for control which is what he has shown by doing what he's done.

 

[sapphire blue]

Their mother, their other siblings, and other extended family. There will be a village of people who miss and love them. Their mother may not have been the best but she also probably had to live with his absolute need for control which is what he has shown by doing what he's done.

‘Their mother may not have been the best’ - do you have a link to show that she wasn’t the best, or is that merely conjecture due to the rumours that have been spread about her? There’s a saying that I think applies perfectly to her reputation right now - lies travel half way around the world whilst the truth is still getting its shoes on.

I’d also add that when you measure the actions of both parents over the last 4 years (since his first disappearance with the kids), there is only one who has acted abusively.

 

[charliethecat]

‘Their mother may not have been the best’ - do you have a link to show that she wasn’t the best, or is that merely conjecture due to the rumours that have been spread about her? There’s a saying that I think applies perfectly to her reputation right now - lies travel half way around the world whilst the truth is still getting its shoes on.

I’d also add that when you measure the actions of both parents over the last 4 years (since his first disappearance with the kids), there is only one who has acted abusively.

That the mother had problems of her own has been so much a part of this ongoing story here in NZ it is hard to know where/when it came from first. The children were placed in the care of their grandparents ie Tom Phillips' parents had custody. Whether this was shared with TP I don't know but the mother only got shared custody with the grandparents around about the time the children went missing.

Here in NZ the Family Court is regarded as being anti women/anti men, anti this or that (so for an outsider probably very fair to the children!!) The prime focus for the FC by law is given to the needs of the children not the parents. Even allowing for this primary focus, it is still relatively unusual for grandparents to have custody while there are two living parents. So I think it is fair to say that the FC felt it better for the children to be stable with their grandparents or perhaps turning it around, that the children would not fare as well if they were placed with either of the parents with the other parent having visitation rights or even shared custody.

 

[table legs]

That the mother had problems of her own has been so much a part of this ongoing story here in NZ it is hard to know where/when it came from first. The children were placed in the care of their grandparents ie Tom Phillips' parents had custody. Whether this was shared with TP I don't know but the mother only got shared custody with the grandparents around about the time the children went missing.

Here in NZ the Family Court is regarded as being anti women/anti men, anti this or that (so for an outsider probably very fair to the children!!) The prime focus for the FC by law is given to the needs of the children not the parents. Even allowing for this primary focus, it is still relatively unusual for grandparents to have custody while there are two living parents. So I think it is fair to say that the FC felt it better for the children to be stable with their grandparents or perhaps turning it around, that the children would not fare as well if they were placed with either of the parents with the other parent having visitation rights or even shared custody.

Absolutely correct in this situation. However the parents let him have unsupervised access, when he was deemed unfit.

 

[table legs]

Its quite hard in nz to be deemed unfit. Abuse. Alcohol, drugs, someetimes if they are still feeding and getting kids to school OT will be involved but not actually take the kids away. People in jail can still have custody but not day to day care. Its messed up.

 

[Eloise]

Evidence at bush camp shows fugitive father had ‘outside help’, NZ police say

Police have released further images of the campsite where Tom Phillips’ children were found after his death on Monday, which appear to show a camp kitchen and sleeping area.

www.smh.com.au

Since the children were reunited and settled into state care on Monday, police have been scouring the campsite to determine how the Phillips family managed to survive for so long in the remote and rugged environment.
...
The children’s mother, Cat, has told New Zealand outlet Mata that she is yet to be told when she will be reunited with her children, who were aged eight, seven and five when she last saw them four years ago.

New Zealand Police Minister Mark Mitchell said it was a “complex situation” and that the authorities were governed by court orders.
...
“My staff were talking to her a number of times yesterday, but there are court matters in place, which need to be considered before any access to the children may be considered, as far as I’m aware,” he said.

Chambers said once police recovered the children at the campsite, they were “fairly quickly” handed over to welfare authorities “to ensure that they had the care and the protection that they deserved”.

Chambers sympathised with their mother’s plight and understood that she would be desperate to see them, but said that was not up to the police.

“I totally appreciate that as a parent, and as a parent myself, however… that’s something that [welfare authority] Oranga Tamariki will need to consider,” he said. “There’s obviously things that need to be considered first.”