The Guardian ·
‘Harrowing reading’: what the inquiry into NZ fugitive father Tom Phillips revealed
Inquiry uncovered missed opportunities and failures by New Zealand police and government agencies that may have avoided four-year hunt
1. Agencies overlooked harm Phillips was causingOver “significant periods”, police and Oranga Tamariki (OT), the ministry for children, “underplayed or overlooked” the harm Phillips was causing before and after he vanished, the inquiry found. They were too slow to identify important information, and the search was launched too late. Police intentionally adopted “a low-key approach”, the inquiry said. “This strategy appears to have been predicated on the misconceived view that there were no concerns for the children’s welfare.” The inquiry found OT was dismissive of multiple concerns raised by the maternal family after Phillips’ first disappearance, telling the family court the children were “completely fine” and further OT involvement was perhaps not needed.
2. Significant family concerns minimisedHad OT taken into consideration the significant concerns of the children’s mother and two other sisters, they “may have prevented or made more difficult” his second disappearance, the inquiry found. The sisters, who had lived with their stepfather Phillips for some years, repeatedly raised concerns over his pattern of isolation and harm he caused. The sisters were “uniquely placed” to comment on family dynamics and it was “regrettable the agency did not meet with them.” The children’s mother, named as Ms Smith, had told OT of Phillips’ controlling behaviour towards her. The inquiry found OT failed to hear her concerns before Phillips disappeared the second time. She also notified police that Phillips stashed multiple firearms “all over the place” six months before he disappeared. Police questioned her credibility because of a “custody dispute in the background” and did not respond to her allegations.
3. Phillips’ state of mind and beliefs not treated seriously enough Police built a comprehensive profile of Phillips while investigating his first disappearance. His alcohol consumption concerned them, and his home was “very dirty”. They formed the view he was controlling and difficult to live with. A person close to Phillips was concerned that, if cornered, he would turn “violent”. Another told police he had a dislike of government agencies, “meaning anyone that might try to remove his children from him”. Phillips held anti-vaccination views and had told family he and the children would “just disappear” if there was another Covid lockdown. A 2021 police report, before his second disappearance, said Phillips was “prepared to put the children’s wellbeing at risk by hiding them” to deny Ms Smith access. His firearms licence was suspended and police wanted him to access mental health support. But the inquiry saw no evidence that support was explored or provided by police. The inquiry found police did not adequately share information with OT, and OT should have more carefully considered mental health concerns. Better communication between the two “may have prevented, and would likely have made more difficult” Phillips’ second disappearance.
