Blessie Gotingco: Givealittle page continues to climb

  • 22/05/2016
Blessie and Antonio (supplied)
Blessie and Antonio (supplied)

A Givealittle campaign set up for slain Auckland woman Blessie Gotingco has reached $100,000, but one law professor says taking on the Department of Corrections will take more than just money.

In May 2014, the mother-of-three was brutally raped and killed by Tony Robertson as she walked the final few hundred metres home from her local bus stop.

Robertson is now living out life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 24 years along with preventive detention for the rape.

University professor Bill Hodge says despite having a "great amount of sympathy" for the family, the pathway to suing Corrections will be one riddled with difficulty.

"He is a wonderful person, and they are a wonderful family -- but with my best intentions, I do not see a pathway for them."

Prof Hodge says Mr Gotingco will run into trouble putting a sound case together and he might end up deciding to sue for mental harm, but also might not meet the criteria.

"He has to have a mental injury under the criteria for actual mental harm. He has got grief, he has sadness, he has legitimate anger -- but they aren’t harms as defined in the law."

On Friday, Ms Gotingco's husband, Antonio, released an open letter to the public declaring the family had decided to sue the Department of Corrections and that a severe mismanagement of Robertson meant Corrections  now has "blood on its hands".

Talking to The Nation programme, Mr Gotingco argues that Corrections must be willing to take responsibility, as it was the authority in charge of monitoring Robertson.

"They put the criminal in our neighbourhood when all the records indicate that it is only a matter of time until this offender reoffends again."

It all comes after an independent report was released earlier this week which said the only person accountable for the murder was Robertson and that Corrections had done everything in its power to stop him reoffending.

In a statement to Newshub yesterday, Corrections Regional Commissioner Jeanette Burns said the government entity fully acknowledges the ongoing pain and immense grief suffered by the Gotingco family, and that they have every right to consider private legal proceedings.

"I have met previously with the family, and as previously offered, I am available to meet with them again at any time that they wish.

"At this preliminary stage, we have no further comment to make."

Currently, the Givealittle page has had nearly 3000 donors. The money will feed directly into helping fund the Gotingcos' legal battle.

"We are undertaking our own true investigation into the mis-management of Tony Robertson. Forensic experts regarding GPS, behavioural experts regarding sex offenders and the management of them. Every dollar will be spent wisely and critically. Should there be funds remaining after the investigation, these will be put towards the legal costs of the case," the page says.

However, family spokeswoman says the page is about more than getting justice for Blessie -- it is about fixing a broken system.

"We shouldn't be complacent. We can't put our hands in the air and say 'oh they're difficult to manage, we're not going to even try'."

"That inquiry serves to highlight that we don't get it. Our system doesn't get it, and it needs to get it for public safety."

Antonio and his family have set up a Givealittle page here to help cover the cost of their civil law suit. 

Newshub.