Kiel Paul on the run after removing ankle bracket, fleeing from Nelson tangi

A procession travels up Nelson's Vanguard St for the tangi of James Whitikau Barton last week, from where Kiel Paul was said to have fled ahead of his sentencing this week. Photo / Tracy Neal

A man who was part of a group who used axes and a baseball bat to smash holes in a Kāinga Ora house after they were evicted is now on the run after cutting off his ankle bracelet and vanishing from a tangi.

Nineteen-year-old Kiel Paul was meant to have been sentenced in the Nelson District Court yesterday, but a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to show.

Paul is believed to have “foiled” his electronic ankle bracelet and absconded while attending a tangi for James Whitikau Barton, who died after an assault in Nelson recently. Police are treating his death as a homicide.

Paul, who is associated with the Whakatū (Nelson) chapter of the Mongrel Mob, was on bail ahead of scheduled sentencing on two sets of charges for offences including intentional damage, aggravated robbery and dangerous driving.

On the morning of October 19 last year Paul and two others were given eviction notices by Kāinga Ora from the Nelson house they shared. They were given until the end of the day to collect their belongings and leave.

A few hours later several others arrived at the address with two axes, a baseball bat, a screwdriver and a wooden table leg. The group smashed holes in several walls and damaged the chimney flue.

The police summary of facts said they then used permanent markers to draw names and Mongrel Mob emblems and insignia on the walls.

Police arrived and found the group inside the house after a complaint by a member of the public.

Paul and the alleged co-offenders were processed in the custody room at the Nelson police station. One of the accused had kept one of the permanent markers used to draw on the walls of the house. The pen was passed among the group, and names and gang insignia were drawn on the cell walls.

NZME understands the co-offenders have also been charged and are currently subject to a variety of other court matters.

Early in the morning several days later, Paul and associates made the first of three visits to a Nelson property, took a car and later tried getting the owner to “sign” over another vehicle at the property.

The victim was asleep when Paul and the alleged co-offenders knocked on the door. The victim was told they were “here to do collections” for a woman they named, as Paul moved into the house and stood behind the victim.

Fearing for his safety, the victim followed their instructions while being told by the visitors they were taking a car and a pair of red Nike shoes.

Paul followed the victim to his room as he got the car keys, saw a pair of white shoes and despite being told by the victim they weren’t his, Paul took them anyway.

The group left the property as the victim locked the house but several hours later Paul and his associates returned, knocked on the door and the victim opened it.

The police summary said Paul checked with the victim to see whose car it was they had taken and then asked about another vehicle, which the victim said also belonged to him.

Paul then tried to make him sign a piece of paper saying the victim had “given permission” for them to take the vehicle.

The victim refused to sign and the group left, saying they would get the keys and take it.

They returned an hour later but took off at speed once told by the victim his friends were due to arrive.

Paul, who’d been forbidden to drive in September 2022, was seen several months later driving on a busy, narrow residential street in Nelson South.

The police recognised him and signalled with lights and siren for him to stop. He appeared to be pulling over but then sped away, near a playground where children were present.

Paul continued at high speed and drove straight through a giveway sign without slowing to check if any vehicles were coming.

The police did not give chase due to the dangerous manner in which Paul was driving and the threat he posed to the public.

In court yesterday, the Crown opposed a request for further bail once Paul was found.

• Last week police warned the public not to approach Leslie Peter Ross after the violent sexual offender cut off his ankle bracelet and went on the run.

The 52-year-old Black Power member has a lengthy criminal history including kidnapping, rape and wounding with intent to injure. He was on electronic monitoring while on prison release when he cut off his ankle bracelet on September 29.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.