Father on run for days with daughter
Father on run for days with daughter
By LOUISA CLEAVE
Lapana Seve had been on the run with his 4-year-old daughter for three days before she was found murdered in the back seat of his car beside Auckland’s Northwestern Motorway.
Mr Seve, 45, picked up daughter Storm Apera-Seve from his estranged wife’s Grey Lynn home on Friday and was supposed to take her back on Sunday night.
Storm was due at pre-school on Monday morning and her mother desperately tried to contact Mr Seve.
She went several times to his home and left notes for him.
The little girl was found dead in the back seat of her father’s car on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Seve abandoned the car and died when he stepped in front of a truck in heavy rush-hour traffic on the Northwestern.
Police are treating Storm’s death as a homicide, but are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killing.
It emerged yesterday that Mr Seve had not returned Storm after weekend visits on other occasions.
Mr Seve had weekend custody of his daughter, but is believed to have wanted full custody.
“He’s been quite wrapped up in his daughter, quite obsessed with his daughter … wanting her with him all the time,” said Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie.
Storm’s mother did not contact police when he failed to return the preschooler.
“She did not have concerns for the child’s welfare, as such,” said Ms Goldie, “more that she wanted her back. She was supposed to be at pre-school on Monday.”
John McKeown, a friend of Mr Seve for 15 years, said Storm’s parents split about a year ago and a problem had developed over custody.
“I gather he wanted to look after her and his parents were talking about helping him look after her,” he said.
Police have examined an area of the Avondale Racecourse where Mr Seve and Storm are thought to have slept rough in his car.
Ms Goldie said Mr Seve was seen there on Wednesday and in the days before his death on the motorway.
Storm was seen with him earlier in the week, but was not seen on Wednesday, said Ms Goldie.
Tests are being carried out on patches in the parking area which may be blood stains.
Police cannot yet say when Storm died and have not revealed the cause of death, although it is understood she had stab wounds.
A forensic examination of Mr Seve’s vehicle has been completed.
Ms Goldie said police were not looking for a weapon. “We think we have what we need in the car.”
Members of the Richmond Rovers Rugby League Club last night gathered in Grey Lynn to remember Mr Seve, a coach, referee and player they knew by the nickname “Squash”.
Friends said Mr Seve was devastated by the death of his close friend Afi Ah Kuoi from cancer last May.
Mr Ah Kuoi died two years after losing his wife, and Mr Seve was close to the couple.
“He was very close with the family, then when this custody thing came up, maybe it was the final straw for him and he just cracked,” Mr McKeown said.
George Apelu-Tumaseve, who had known Mr Seve for 30 years, told 3News last night that any custody battle “would have tipped him over the edge, if it happened that he’d lost custody of Storm, knowing how close he was to Storm … She was the apple of his eye”.
you fuck heads who ever wrote this need to get your shit straight. you arse holes don’t even know what happened. You and your so called sources don’t even know what the fuck happened or what was going on with the situation. i should know because this fucked up article is about my baby sister. and no the cowardly bastard was not my father and nor was him and my mother married. so before you go writing shit like this know the real story before you go making assumptions and making up your own story.
Comment by Kamrin — Fri 21st February 2014 @ 2:06 pm
Kamrin,
Welcome to MENZ. This story was written by Louisa Cleave from the newspaper NZ Herald. We are all sorry about the death of your baby sister and can understand your distress. Most people here are also distressed about family violence and are seeking to discuss ways it can be minimised and people involved well supported.
Comment by Allan Harvey — Fri 21st February 2014 @ 4:21 pm
Kettle meet pot.
Karmin, you have done the exact same thing as you are condemning someone else for. Best not jump to conclusions, eh, or as you wrote, “know the real story before you go making assumptions and making up your own story”.
The article is copied and pasted.
Good on you Allan for making a comment and a kind one at that. Most people would freeze, IMO.
Comment by Julie — Sat 22nd February 2014 @ 9:52 pm
I am truly sorry for wot has been perpetrated on yourself and your sister Kamrin.
Please feel free to share your experience and set the record straight or not as only u know what is best for yourself to heal in my experience. I have found that going with your gut is far better than any ‘professional’ opinion as they have a motivation to employ themselves and make money, while some ‘friends’ and family have a motivation of power and control and enjoy telling others wot to do. While a large proportion of the population take a voyeuristic thrill from others misfortune.
On the bright side, i have experienced ab 1% of the population actually has real empathy and therefore is capable of real love. I hope i am one of those, and i think this site has more nice peopple who wish to help than any other place. Peace & Love.
Comment by Sane in an insane world — Sun 23rd February 2014 @ 6:35 am
‘He’s been quite wrapped up in his daughter, quite obsessed with his daughter “¦ wanting her with him all the time,’ said Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie
Interesting how easy it is for the NZ Police to introduce bias into a soundbite. Surely the mother is actually the one who is obsessed with wanting their daughter to be with her all the time as she appears to b the one who took the daughter away from her father and has prevented free access and communication and probably parental rights.
The NZ Police are corrupt bullies who love to make Dads lives hell in my personal experience. They have arrested many harmless Dads and pushed them to breaking point with the help of the courts and the mothers. I would love to see extensive statistics of Protection orders awarded and whether any physical violence was involved and on notice or without notice and suicides of those in relationships and suicides& murders/real physical violence, convictions (proof of violence) etc.
Comment by Sane in an insane world — Sun 23rd February 2014 @ 6:46 am