Rodney Fallowfield pleads guilty to double murder in Christchurch

Rodney Fallowfield, 58, has pleaded guilty to murdering Glen Allan Tukaki and Nigel John Robinson in Christchurch. The pleas were entered at the High Court in Christchurch on Thursday. Fallowfield also admitted to wounding with reckless disregard and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The incident occurred around midnight on 10 October at a social housing complex on Olliviers Road in Phillipstown. Fallowfield believed his car tyres had been slashed and confronted residents with a Bowie hunting knife and a folding knife. He stabbed Robinson multiple times, and although Robinson escaped the unit, he died from his wounds. Fallowfield then attacked two others who tried to intervene, including Tukaki, who had mobility issues due to a leg amputation. Before stabbing Tukaki, Fallowfield said, "I'm going to enjoy this".

Fallowfield was previously jailed in 2021 for the manslaughter of his wife, Shirley Reedy. Reedy was killed in a Te Anau motel while the couple were on a belated honeymoon. He was released on parole in September 2023. Sentencing for the current charges is scheduled for 7 April next year.

How it developed

• Thu 29 Oct, 10:43amReport 5 identifies the victims by nicknames 'Lizard' Tukaki and 'Rooster' Robinson and provides the specific names of the two other victims, James Alan Dell and Shantay Marie McQuade.

Where reports differ

• One report states Fallowfield told police he would do it again if he had the chance, while another notes he smiled as a member of the public shouted expletives at him

Compiled from reports by Stuff, NZ Herald, 1News, Otago Daily Times and The Press.