Rotorua businessman charged with neglecting vulnerable woman

A Rotorua businessman faces two counts of neglect in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Kelly Makiha

A Rotorua businessman has been charged with two counts of neglect after police allege he failed to take proper care of a vulnerable woman in his care.

The man has denied the charges in the Rotorua District Court and been granted interim name suppression until his trial.

The woman’s name is also suppressed.

The charges allege that between March and June in 2022 he was caring for a vulnerable adult but failed to provide healthy and sanitary living conditions, which negatively impacted the woman’s health and she suffered hypothermia and sepsis.

Charging documents provided to the Rotorua Daily Post allege this was not the standard of care expected of a reasonable person.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

The Rotorua Daily Post understands the woman died, but the man has not been charged in relation to her death.

The case was called before Judge Greg Hollister-Jones yesterday, where the man advised he still did not have a lawyer.

Judge Hollister-Jones noted there had been several adjournments during the past year.

He said there was a relationship breakdown between the man and his first lawyer, the man did not sign terms of engagement with a second lawyer and three other duty solicitors had tried to help him fill out a legal aid form, in some cases spending several hours with him, but were unsuccessful.

Crown prosecutor Laurie McMaster urged Judge Hollister-Jones to appoint a lawyer for the man because the case was “limping along”.

If a lawyer was appointed for the man, she said they could progress to a trial and “this circus ends”.

Judge Hollister-Jones said a lawyer would be appointed by the court but the option remained open for him to pay for his own lawyer or accept a lawyer through the legal aid process.

The case would be recalled on June 17.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.