Mother of man accused of school mass shooting threats claims police made her lie

The mother of a man accused of threatening to commit a school shooting claims she was “forced” by police to make incriminating statements about her son.

Today in court, Pengxiao (Yolanda) He said her earlier statements to police – that the bedroom in one of her homes, where a shotgun was found, belonged to her son – were incorrect.

She was giving evidence in Manukau District Court, where her son Tiedan Huo, 22, is on trial, accused of sending emails to two schools in March last year threatening a mass shooting, which put one school into lockdown.

Huo has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges relating to the threats, which were also sent to police stations and Parliament, and possessing a firearm, ammunition and other mass shooting manifestos.

The mother was questioned by Crown prosecutor Gareth Kayes this morning, who asked about her two homes, one in South Auckland and one in rural Waikato, both of which were searched by police the day after the threatening emails.

Kayes asked He about a diagram she drew at Manukau Police Station on the day of the searches that outlined the layout of her rural home.

The diagram numbered the bedrooms in the house 1 to 3 and, the court heard earlier, “bedroom 1″ was where a 12-gauge Dickinson shotgun was found.

The trial earlier heard from Detective Constable Nateina Felemi, who took He’s statement and drawing at that time.

Felemi said that at the police station, He informed her that bedroom 1 was where Huo stayed.

• 'Don't come to school': Ex-student accused of shooting threat 'manifesto'

But today, He gave a different answer, saying the room was mainly “vacant” and that her police statement was given under duress.

“I said a few things to the police because I had no choice,” He claimed. “If I didn’t make a statement they would arrest me.”

She said while the police were searching her other home, the Māngere East property, she could hear them “smashing things and smashing glasses”.

“Ms He, my question was who did you say was in room 1 when you spoke to the police officer?” Kayes asked.

“It’s such a long time ago I can’t remember,” He replied.

Later in the day, Kayes returned to the point, bringing attention this time to a second police statement He made in which she again said the room where the illegal gun was found was Huo’s.

He told the trial that the police officer who took her second statement said if she didn’t give a statement, she would be arrested.

Waiuku College went into lockdown on March 12 of last year after a threatening email. Photo / Cherie Howie

“He wrote this; I had no choice but to agree,” she said.

Kayes suggested the mother was “lying” because she knew that a firearm was found in that room and didn’t want her son to get in trouble, to which He objected.

“I have evidence and witnesses to prove how the police forced me to surrender,” she said.

Kayes asked again if the woman was lying to get her son “out of trouble”.

“Tiedan’s path he walks himself whether he has trouble or not it’s not my business,” she replied.

Kayes also asked He about a man she said she met in 2024 and who lived at her Waikato address until their relationship soured.

Despite saying the man lived in that house only up until November 2024, He said in March 2025 she found some clothes in “bedroom 1″ that belonged to him and she believed he was using the room at that time.

She said she emailed police about it, but the information was not in her two signed statements.

The 12-gauge Dickinson pump-action shotgun the Crown claims was found in Tiedan Huo's room in his mother's home in the Waikato. Photo / Police

Kayes’ questioning of He covered items found in Huo’s room in their Māngere East home, asking if the mother knew whether her son owned any laptops.

“I normally wouldn’t enter his room,” she replied. “Maybe he did but I don’t know.”

At the start of the trial, Kayes said police searches of Huo’s two laptops found the manifesto and shooting footage of Al Noor Mosque terrorist Brenton Tarrant and material related to two other white supremacist mass shooters.

Kayes then led He to a photo of a knife that police say was found in Huo’s room and asked He if she had ever seen her son with a knife. She replied she hadn’t.

“He’s an adult; I didn’t inspect on his personal property. Would you check your kids’ personal things?” she replied.

A 3D printer was discovered at the house, which He said she paid for because her “child” asked her for it and he used it to print Buddha and cat statues.

The threatening “manifesto” that was emailed to schools warned that 3D printed weapons would be used.

The mother was the owner of a gun, which she said she used to shoot ducks, but she told the court Huo had never used it.

“He really wanted to but I wouldn’t allow him.”

However, she later backpedalled and said her son had no interest in her firearm.

The defence’s cross-examination of the woman is set to begin tomorrow.

Ella Scott-Fleming has been a journalist for three years and previously worked at the Otago Daily Times, Gore Ensign and Metro Magazine. She has an interest in court and general reporting. She’s currently based in Auckland covering justice related stories.