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A double killer and rapist alleges his sister has kept the payout he received for being abused in state care as a child.
Leon Wilson, a former president of the Nomad gang and a member of the Mongrel Mob’s Notorious chapter, says he feels like he is being abused all over again.
“My own sister has done me in the eye and ripped me off $25,000. She said, ‘Bro, what happened to you is bad. I’ll look after your money’. But as soon as it was in her bank account, she stopped communicating,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s younger sister, Shandy Allen, declined to comment when approached by the Herald.
Leon Colin Wilson, a double murderer and rapist, alleges his sister has abused his trust. He says she is withholding $25,000 from him. He is currently serving time at Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
In 1996, he was convicted and jailed for life for murdering his former partner, Leonie Newman. While they were in a relationship, Wilson tattooed “Property of Leon” on Newman’s face, which left her too ashamed to be seen in public.
While Wilson was serving a prison term, Newman left him, but when he was released he tracked her down in Huntly, savagely beat her and strangled her so hard he broke his thumb.
Wilson then stabbed her 28 times, leaving her lifeless body lying in a pool of blood on a bathroom floor.
Leon Colin Wilson was convicted for kidnapping and killing this man, Mitchell Paterson, in 2019. His body was found in water below the McLaren Falls Bridge.
Before the siblings fell out, the Herald understands Wilson authorised the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to pay the sum into Allen’s account for safe-keeping.
Documents supplied to the Herald show the money was deposited into Allen’s account on December 9.
The Ministry of Social Development paid Wilson $20,000 for five to 15 years in state care and $5000 for experiences in secure care at Ōwairaka Boys’ Home.
MSD Historic Claims general manager Linda Hrstich-Meyer said in a statement: “Where a person does not have their own bank account, we can either hold the money until they have an account we can pay it into or, with their consent, pay the money into someone else’s account.”
Leon Colin Wilson, a double murderer and rapist, received a $25,000 payment and an apology for being abused in state care.
“If the claimant chooses for someone else to receive their payment, they provide documentation to us to confirm they accept the risk of a payment being made to another person, and the person receiving the money also signs a form accepting their responsibility.”
Once the payment has been processed, the ministry has no control over what happens with that payment. MSD was aware of a few cases where inmates have been taken advantage of by family members. As of December 31 last year, 6227 people had registered historic claims with MSD and 3351 of these claims had been closed.
Historic Claims provides people claiming abuse or neglect in the care of Child, Youth and Family, or its predecessors, with an alternative way to seek redress without the need for civil litigation through the courts.
A person’s claim may be resolved with a settlement offer that includes payment. As at June 30, 2023, the total amount paid in settlement for closed claims was $47,722,369.
Leon Colin Wilson has accused his sister Shandy Allen of withholding the $25,000 payout he received for being abused in state care as a child.
Wilson said he is furious his sister won’t tell him where his money is.
“She has probably spent it. If she needed the money, of course I would’ve have helped her - she is my sister,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s partner - who doesn’t want to be identified - said, “Shandy made many excuses, saying her bank lost the money, her account was frozen, and she had mistakenly transferred the money into the wrong account.”
Toddy Shepherd, CEO of He Korowai Trust and Shandy Allen's employer.
She also approached Allen’s employer, Toddy Shepherd, the CEO of He Korowai Trust, who responded, “I have encouraged her to reach out to you, Leon and the lawyer, but I don’t think there’s much more I can do apart from that, as I regard this as a personal matter.”
Shepherd told the Herald: “I understand the issues between Shandy and her brother, but it has nothing to do with her job. She does not make financial recommendations.”
Leon Wilson, 55, was the eldest child of Linda, a seamstress, and Colin, a coal miner. He was raised in Glen Innes with four other siblings and claims violence and sexual abuse was rife within his extended whānau.
Leon Wilson stole cars and burgled houses as a teenager. He is currently serving time at Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
As a teenager, Wilson says he stole cars and burgled houses.
“My father sent me to ram raid shops that sold microwaves. They were the hot-ticket item back in the day, and we hocked them off.
“I was sent to Ōwairaka Boys’ Home, where heinous crimes took place - bullying and sexual abuse. I was forced to perform sexual acts on older boys while staff stood there and encouraged it. I ran away all the time, but they would find me, bring me back and I’d be sexually assaulted again. I was 12 years old.”
Ōwairaka Boys' Home in Auckland, where Leon Wilson was sexually abused.
Wilson made a claim to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care in 2021 because he wanted the system to acknowledge what happened to him and how it impacted who he became. He has spent 35 years in and out of prison and is currently serving time at Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
Wilson said he was forced to trust his sister with the payout because he didn’t have a bank account. He said his partner tried to help him open one but had no luck.
“How are people on the inside expected to manage their money from the outside when they are prejudiced against?” the partner said.
Leon Colin Wilson is serving time in Spring Hill Corrections Facility. He is a carver and says he gets paid $12 a week.
“Inmates are forgotten about. Leon’s dentures are broken, he has Type 1 diabetes, his eyesight is failing,” she said.
Wilson says he doesn’t want anything more to do with his sister.
“I’ve been robbed of life and I want Shandy to pay for what she’s done. If you can’t trust your own family, who can you trust?”
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland- based investigative journalist. She has worked for the Herald since 2007 and was previously a commissioner at TVNZ and a current affairs producer for 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.
