Dog attack victim Timothy Tu’uaki Rolleston-Bryan, 4, of Katikati, was killed on March 28, 2025. Photo / Supplied
Dog attack victim Timothy Tu’uaki Rolleston-Bryan, 4, of Katikati, was killed on March 28, 2025. Photo / Supplied
A grandmother says she will stand up in court to support the person accused of owning a dog that killed her 4-year-old grandson.
Timothy Tu’uaki Rolleston-Bryan also known as Timoti, was fatally injured in a dog attack last year at a property in Tuapiro, Katikati.
Following the attack, three dogswere seized and euthanised by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
On Monday, almost a year after the March 28 event, police announced they had charged a 35-year-old woman in relation to the incident.
Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Flowerdew‑Brown said the woman had been charged with owning a dog that caused the death of a person, and called to appear in the New Plymouth District Court on March 16.
“Timothy’s family have been notified of this outcome. Our thoughts remain with them, and we continue to offer them the necessary support,” Flowerdew‑Brown said.
The development came the day before what would have been Timoti’s 5th birthday.
Timoti’s grandmother and guardian Amy Rolleston told the Bay of Plenty Times she first heard of the charge when the accused woman phoned her at 11.50am on Monday.
She said Flowerdew-Brown called about an hour later.
Rolleston said she believed she should have been told at the same time as the dog owner.
“It’s really upsetting to be told she has been charged, especially the day before what would have been my grandson’s fifth birthday.
Amy Rolleston, the grandmother of 4-year-old Timothy Tu’uaki Rolleston-Bryan, killed in a dog attack in Katikati on March 28, 2025. Photo / Ben Dickens
“We had told the police we did not want the dogs’ owner charged.”
She said she also told Flowerdew-Brown she intended to stand up in court in support of the woman.
Rolleston said the tragedy already weighed heavily on them and everyone else involved.
She said the news of the charge left her and her husband “reeling”.
“I broke down [on Monday] when I was told, and [on Tuesday] we planned to have a little party with Timoti’s cousins, but we cancelled it because everyone is too upset and not in the mood for a party.
“It feels like we are all being made to relive what happened that day – the healing process has barely begun.”
Rolleston said she wanted the court appearance moved to the Tauranga District Court so both families and their supporters could attend.
Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton. Photo / NZME
NZME asked police to respond to Rolleston’s comments.
In a written statement, Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said, when making charging decisions, police considered the prosecutorial guidelines, ensuring they had sufficient evidence.
They also looked at “whether a prosecution is in the public interest”.
Paxton said police must take the privacy of all persons into account when advising that a prosecution will take place.
“As the matter is before the courts, police are unable to comment further.”
Flowerdew-Brown told the Bay of Plenty Times last week that police had received new information about the case in January and at that stage had yet to decide if they would prosecute.
The charge has been laid under Section 58 of the Dog Control Act 1996.
It can apply to the owner of any dog that attacks any person and causes serious injury.
The maximum penalty is three years imprisonment or a fine of up to $20,000.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
