Slain inmate's family hires lawyers over death

Tue Faavae's family said he had cuts all over his body and a hole in his head. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The family of an inmate killed in Auckland's maximum security jail at Paremoremo 10 days ago have hired a lawyer to inquire into his death.

Tue Faavae was repeatedly hacked and stabbed to death while at the prison on March 1.

Last night the dead man's brother, Falaniko Faavae, told TVNZ the injuries included stab wounds to the neck, and a hole in the side of his head.

His body had cut marks all over it, with puncture wounds around his eyes. His attackers also tried to cut a tattoo off his body.

Lawyer Olinda Woodroffe said her first focus on behalf of the Faavae family would be getting information from the Corrections Department, police, those in the medical services who dealt with the dead man, and even those at the funeral parlour who dealt with the body.

She said the family were concerned about the general level of violence within prisons

"I started the inquiry by facing a very distressed family, very angry," she told Radio New Zealand.

"They have grief, anger and disbelief at the level of injuries."

Department of Corrections northern regional manager Warren Cummins said the department would co-operate with Ms Woodroffe's inquiry where it could.

"There's actually a whole range of investigations into this," he said.

"The police are conducting a homicide investigation, we have an independent body, the inspectorate, who will be looking with the ombudsman at the circumstances around the incident, and the employment investigation is something that the prison management have initiated because they have seen things as well which relate to our procedures in relation to this event," Mr Cummins said.

But the prison officers' union, the Corrections Association, is questioning the investigations procedure.

President Bevan Hanlon said three of the association's members had been suspended while an investigation was carried out.

"Yet not one manager has ever been investigated over all the incidents that are happening in this prison," Mr Hanlon said.

In the wake of Faavae's murder, officers at the prison are threatening to walk off the job unless something is done to control the gang violence.

Faavae was serving a five-year term for aggravated robbery.

Along with six other inmates, he was allowed out of his cell for an hour the day he was attacked.

TVNZ said it had been told those six prisoners were supposed to be locked up before the next group was released.

But it was alleged Faavae's cell was not checked when it was locked down and it was actually empty. Faavae was still on the outside when the next group of prisoners was let out, allowing the clash to happen.

- NZPA