WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The trial of a 50-year-old man accused of murdering five people in Wellington by deliberately setting fire to a boarding house commenced on Monday. The incident took place at the Loafers Lodge, a 92-bed hostel, in May 2023, when the building was nearly full. The defendant, whose identity has been suppressed during the trial at the High Court in Wellington, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and arson.
The defense team indicated plans to pursue an insanity defense, arguing that the accused was not capable of understanding his actions or the morality of his decisions at the time of the alleged incident. This defense will not be presented until later in the trial, which is projected to last for five weeks. In contrast, Prosecutor Stephanie Bishop asserted during her opening arguments that the defendant was aware of his actions and their potential consequences.
Bishop detailed that the accused had resided in the Loafers Lodge for a week and allegedly lit two fires as a means to force a transfer to alternative accommodation. Initially, he ignited a couch late in the evening, which triggered an evacuation of the building. After residents extinguished this fire, the defendant returned to the scene and deliberately set ablaze cushions and a blanket, utilizing a cupboard as a makeshift ignition point. Notably, he left the premises without raising the alarm or contacting emergency services.
The five victims included notable local figures known to the Wellington community. Among them was Michael Wahrlich, a veteran busker, and Liam Hockings, renowned for his daily foot tours of the area. The other three victims were identified as Kenneth Barnard, Peter O'Sullivan, and Melvin Parun. The incident has highlighted serious concerns regarding the state of boarding houses in New Zealand, particularly those housing low-income individuals.
The fire's consequences were severe, leading to an outrage regarding the management and operational standards of such accommodations in the country. Reports indicated that the Loafers Lodge lacked essential fire safety features, such as sprinklers and functional smoke detection systems, crucial for resident safety. Following these tragic deaths, authorities filed manslaughter charges against four individuals connected to the management of the boarding house, holding them responsible for failures in the fire safety system; these individuals all plead not guilty. A trial date for these charges has yet to be established.
The absence of fire sprinklers in numerous older boarding houses like Loafers Lodge has sparked a series of reviews and inquiries into regulations governing these facilities. As a response to the fire, which exposed the dilapidated and unregulated conditions of boarding houses across New Zealand, one lawmaker has begun seeking cross-party support for legislation aimed at establishing a registry for boarding houses and their owners, as well as mandating record-keeping practices.
The tragic fire at Loafers Lodge serves as a sombre reminder of the pressing need for reforms in fire safety regulations and housing standards for vulnerable populations in New Zealand. As the trial unfolds, the community reflects on the broader implications of this tragedy and the urgent necessity for regulatory change in the boarding house sector.
