'Emotions hit me all at once': Detective on when he heard of uncle's death

Hoani Reuben-Tuoro wasn’t just another name in a police file.

The man who was killed in a deliberately lit fire was a brother‑figure, confidant and steady presence in his whānau.

But when detectives started notifying relatives, one call cut differently because the victim was the uncle of a detective who had spent nearly two decades protecting families like his own.

“The emotions hit me all at once,” detective Joseph Reuben told the court as August Lemon was jailed for lighting the fire that killed his uncle.

Lemon, 50, appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Whangārei today before Justice Mathew Downs for the manslaughter of 61-year-old Reuben-Tuoro.

In the early hours of April 29, 2024, Lemon rode a push bike to the victim’s address on Thomas St, Whangārei.

The Crown said he searched Reuben-Tuoro’s car for drugs and, when he couldn’t find any, set the car alight.

As he left the scene, the fire spread through the carport into an area of Reuben-Tuoro’s home.

When emergency responders arrived, they found the man kneeling over a couch, unresponsive.

They attempted to save his life but he died at the scene.

When detectives had to call the victim’s whānau, it would be one of their own who picked up the phone.

Reuben was raised as the victim’s brother and gave a powerful victim impact statement at Lemon’s sentencing.

Reuben said when his sergeant called him, he knew from his voice that something was amiss.

“I remember feeling sick instantly,” he told the court.

With 19 years in the police force, 12 as a detective in the Northland criminal investigation bureau, he said it was unfamiliar territory for everybody having a detective on the other side.

Reuben told the court that despite Reuben-Tuoro being his biological uncle, he was raised as his brother, someone he confided in, took advice from and spoke with regularly.

They travelled the country together competing in waka ama for ngā waka o Te Tai Tokerau, and Reuben-Tuoro educated Reuben about Te Ao Māori.

As the investigation began, Reuben said he struggled to separate his professional life from his emotions and avoided going into the office.

Whangārei detective Joseph Reuben a a police constable in 2014. Today he's spoken in court about receiving the call from colleagues that his uncle had died. Photo / John Stone

‘Their paths crossed’

Reuben overheard conversations from staff members, saw the operational boards and when detectives shared opinions about Lemon, he found it overwhelming.

He said it was the first time he questioned his career.

“At the time, it felt like nobody understood what I was going through. Looking back, I now see they were just doing their job,” Reuben said.

“What made those conversations difficult is Uncle John wasn’t just another victim. He was my uncle. He was family. He was someone I loved and looked up to.

“In my grief, it often felt like the focus was on the offender. Upon reflection, I know that’s not the case.”

Throughout his career, Reuben had come across Lemon multiple times but did not know how his uncle came to know him.

“All I do know is, their paths crossed.”

Reuben told the court his uncle was “unapologetically Māori”, a gentle giant, caring and always willing to help others.

And similarly, Reuben’s desire to help others kept him believing in his job.

“Policing is a part of who I am. I do this job for my family. I do it because I genuinely want to help people and keep them safe. Helping others has always been important to me.

“I miss him so much.”

Police on the scene of the fatal house fire. Photo / NZME

Lemon’s lawyer Arthur Fairley submitted his client had sustained a brain injury and was functioning with an IQ of 65 – a score below the standard threshold of 70 for intellectual disability.

“This is a man who struggles in life because of his mental capabilities; he can’t think things through,” Fairley said.

Of Lemon’s 137 convictions, Fairley pointed out the ones related to violence only appeared after his head injury.

Fairley said his client lit the fire out of frustration with no thought of how it might spread, or what may occur.

Justice Downs pointed out that despite Lemon admitting early in the investigation he had lit the fire, he entered a not guilty plea.

August Lemon was captured on CCTV riding a pushbike to Hoani Reuben-Tuoro's house the night he lit the fire. Photo / NZ Police

The judge said it was only when those admissions of guilt, which included prison phone calls to family members, were admitted as evidence that Lemon changed his plea.

“The short point is this: you lit the fire, and the fire killed Mr Reuben[-Tuoro]. It follows you are responsible for taking his life, and responsible for the great suffering of many by doing so,” Justice Downs said.

“Mr Lemon you knew you lit the fire.”

Justice Downs accepted there was no element of premeditation and the starting point would have been higher if not for his intellectual disability.

“I am not persuaded your offending was premeditated because you did not go to the home intending to light a fire. But, you did light the fire out of anger, frustration, or both, when you did not find any drugs, and that obviously is an aggravating factor.”

Lemon was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.