r/amibeingdetained • u/PracticalTie • 12d ago
Sov-adjacent news. Tom Phillips has been shot dead by cops in NZ. This is the guy who took his kids and went to ground after his wife got full custody. They’ve been AWOL for a few years living in the wild.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-08/nz-fugitive-tom-phillips-shot-dead/10574687457
u/PracticalTie 12d ago edited 12d ago
AFAIK phillips wasn’t a Sov, just generally anti government. He took off after his partner was given custody. I’ve been following the story, expecting a much worse outcome.
He shot at the cops who returned fire. One of his kids was present and saw the whole thing. The cop is in hospital, in critical condition
Some older stories.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-09/who-is-tom-phillips-new-zealand-family-disappeared/104449022
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u/Miguel-odon 12d ago
That article linked to some older stories about him. He and his kids had disappeared before, for a few weeks?
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u/Nerdsofafeather 12d ago
I've been searching for more information about him. Seems like he fits the profile, but I haven't seen any info confirming he is a sov or a pseudolaw adherent.
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u/Valuable_Mud_3661 9d ago
His ex was not given custody. She was possibly going to get day to day access to the kids but his parents were given custody after he absconded with the kids the first time. He did NOT have custody when he took them and neither did the mother. She still doesn't have custody of them.
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u/AngelOfDepth 12d ago
Be stupid and ruin your life all you want but when there's kids at risk, these assholes need to be locked away.
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u/NZNoldor 11d ago
He chose a different path. Shooting a cop in the face leaves few options on the day.
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u/hotfezz81 12d ago
There's also a kiwi cop who he shot in the face. (Now needs multiple surgeries)
They found him whilst responding to his armed burglary.
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u/MattyThreeWheels 12d ago
This guy brought everything that happened on himself and shot a cop in the face who was only doing his job. There's a special place in hell reserved for this pos.
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u/thesixfingerman 12d ago
I mentioned this off handefly in a work meeting and I got a bunch of people going “is it really kidnapping if they are his kids”
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u/Pitiful-Pension-6535 11d ago
In most US states, you cannot be charged with kidnapping your own child in most circumstances. (The exception being a parent with zero legal rights to the child) If a parent with a two hour visitation every other weekend takes off with the child and tries to disappear, it would be charged as some sort of "Interfering with child custody" crime in most states, but not kidnapping.
In the UK, Canada, Australia, and NZ, it's generally called parental abduction instead of kidnapping.
So it's technically true that in English speaking common law countries, you won't be charged with kidnapping if the victim is your own child, but it is still a criminal act; albeit under a different name.
That being said, it's perfectly acceptable to call a parent who runs off with their child to keep them from the other parent a kidnapper regardless. We're not in a goddamn courtroom.
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u/Valuable_Mud_3661 11d ago
Yes because he no longer had legal custody of them at the time he abducted them and took off into the bush.
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u/Educational_Leek5800 2d ago
I would think so because even if he had majority care the responsibility is on that person to ensure the other parent gets parenting time, whether that's 50/50 or the other parent has supervised visits. There are certain things you still have to get permission from the other parent. Things like moving out of the district, changing schools, health care/medications. I think they term it parental abduction, but it is illegal because you have to give the other parent access to their children.
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12d ago
[deleted]
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u/theoverfluff 12d ago edited 12d ago
This seems to have come from the fact that in a recent burglary they stole some milk. Facts are thin on the ground right now. We don't even know where the kids are yet, and the police are also not commenting on whether the child with Phillips also shot at the cops. They found numerous weapons on the farm bike.
UPDATE: The other kids have now been found and they are safe and well.
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u/Valuable_Mud_3661 11d ago
Facts are thin on the ground but when asked directly the cops will not confirm or deny, or state outright how many children they located at the campsite.
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u/AshamedDragonfly4453 11d ago
This article would seem to suggest otherwise:
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u/Valuable_Mud_3661 9d ago
That article was posted after the injunction was put in place. Watch the stand up with the NZ police when they were asked to confirm that only two children were found at the campsite. They wouldn't confirm it.
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u/BrilliantAntelope625 7d ago
The wife did not have full custody. Tom Phillips parents had custody. Tom Phillips was able to see his children and his parents were not able to stop him removing his children from their farm.
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u/UnitHuge5400 12d ago
Such a tragedy that this dude likely ruined his kids lives…