Most Kiwis know him as a man who was imprisoned for 21 years for a crime he didn’t commit, but there’s a side to Teina Pora that not many know – his life as a loving father and grandfather.
In the latest issue of Woman’s Day, we meet the daughter and grandson who are the whanau helping the 40-year-old South Aucklander heal after his unimaginable two decades behind bars.
Channelle, now 25, was only a baby when her father was wrongly convicted for the 1992 rape and murder of Susan Burdett, and only re-established contact with Teina when she was 18 years old and six months pregnant.
“It was exciting!” recalls Teina. “It was a boy! I just couldn’t believe I was a grandfather.” His moko Benson is now a mischievous, tactile six-year-old who loves his koro and brings him the greatest joy.
“Benson’s just a bubbly and excited young fella,” says Teina. “I know he has a huge future ahead of him. I know that for sure. Wherever I take him, people go, ‘Where did you get this little kid from?’ I say, ‘He popped out of my daughter and look at him!’”
Speaking ahead of the publication of author Michael Bennett’s book In Dark Places, which tells the story of how Teina ended up in prison, the proud grandfather also tells Woman’s Day about how finding faith has helped him forgive those who sent him to jail and how he’s adjusting to life in the real world. See our latest issue for more.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
