Police outside the Adelphi Motel in Taupo. Photo / Rachel Canning
Police outside the Adelphi Motel in Taupo. Photo / Rachel Canning
The owner of a Taupō emergency housing motel says he hopes he can still help provide the homeless with somewhere to stay despite a homicide at his property at the weekend.
Adelphi Motel has come under criticism from local residents who have said it was only a matter of timebefore something bad happened at the motel, considering the number of times police had been called to the property.
But the owner, Jaiju Devassy, told the Rotorua Daily Post he did his best to screen clients to ensure they came from good backgrounds. He said he hoped the homicide didn't impact his future ability to have emergency housing at the motel.
A man died following an incident outside his motel unit door, on the corner of Kaimanawa and Heuheu Streets, on Sunday about 6.30am. He was found to have critical injuries but died at the scene. Police have launched a homicide inquiry. The dead man's name is yet to be released.
Police are looking for witnesses of a vehicle arriving at the motel at the time and are working to establish whether a firearms incident in Taupō later that day was linked to the man's death.
The Rotorua Daily Post revealed this week the premises had been the subject of police attention 44 times in just over a year, including for incidents such as assault, family violence, theft and disorder.
Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Mike Bryant said this week the ministry was very concerned about what happened.
Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Mike Bryant. Photo / Andrew Warner
When asked if the motel would continue to be used for emergency housing, he said: "We are not currently accepting requests from whānau who wish to stay at this motel."
Devassy said he had been leasing the motel for two years and bought it two months ago.
He had moved two of the guests staying in two units next to where the incident happened to his other emergency housing motel in Taupō, Rainbow Point Motel.
He said given there were few visitors to Taupō because of the pandemic, the emergency housing arrangement was the only way he could remain in business.
When asked about the police attention at Adelphi Motel, Devassy said he believed there were worse motels in Taupō and Rotorua.
He said they tried to screen the people they had staying there to make sure they weren't connected to gangs and they had CCTV cameras around the motel.
He said it wasn't right that other people made mistakes and the business owner suffered.
"It's not my mistake. It's an incident that can happen anywhere."
He said from what he knew, the man who died had lived a quiet life for the past few years with his partner and children.
Taupo CIB acting area manager of investigations Detective Sergeant Andy Livingstone said investigators were also making inquiries into a firearms incident in Tauhara Rd just before 10.30pm on Sunday when a firearm was discharged at a residential property. Nobody was injured.
If you can help, please call 105 and refer to "Operation Dell".
You can also share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
