Henry Woodhouse has told Coroner Peter Ryan at an inquest in Auckland of disjointed and bizarre conversations he had with Ms Asher in the hours she spent with him at his mother Julia’s Piha home.
Mr Woodhouse and his mother picked Ms Asher up and took her to the house after finding her walking along the road in the rain wearing little more than underwear.
Ms Asher told Mr Woodhouse varying stories over the night about how she had been given acid and ecstasy.
She told him someone had been taking photographs of her on a cellphone – photos she did not want taken.
Mr Woodhouse helped his mother and her partner Bobbie Carroll comfort Ms Asher, and reassured her she was safe. She asked if he would sleep in the lounge with her and while he was reluctant to do so, he agreed out of concerns about the safety of his mother and her partner and about having a stranger in the house.
Five minutes later she got out of bed and took off into the night, despite Mr Woodhouse’s attempts to stop her and keep her at the house.
The last person to see Ms Asher alive also gave evidence. Zachary Nixon told Coroner Ryan he was restless so decided to walk his dog at about 1am. He was with his then-partner Simone Ross.
The couple saw Ms Asher standing stark naked under a street light. Mr Nixon initially wanted to film her on his cellphone but Ms Ross stopped him. They hid and watched her for a bit and then followed her at a distance.
When she walked past the last street light on the street, Mr Nixon began to jog after her – knowing there were no more lights to show where she was.
He jogged down a track, believing that’s where Ms Asher had gone. His dog took off towards the beach but Mr Nixon called it back.
After looking on the beach for several minutes using a torch, Mr Nixon and his partner went home. About half an hour later he heard helicopters overhead. Unbeknown to him, that was the beginning of the search for Ms Asher.
Mr Nixon told the inquest he did not think to call 111 after seeing the naked woman because “she didn’t seem distressed”.
Ms Ross said Ms Asher was holding her arms out as if she was doing a star jump. She then knelt and kissed the ground.
She said the entire situation was “weird” and it freaked her out.
“She disappeared into the darkness,” she told Coroner Ryan.
“I didn’t think she looked as if she really needed help.”
Ms Ross said people swimming naked at Piha was a common occurrence and so seeing Ms Asher in that state “wasn’t really a surprise”.
Police are now outlining the changes and improvements made to their 111 call system since Ms Asher’s disappearance. An independent review of the system made 61 recommendations – 55 of which have been implemented already. A further three are underway.
Superintendent Andy MacGregor said since Ms Asher’s 111 call there had been “significant” improvements made.
“There was a request for service. A unit should have been dispatched,” he said of Ms Asher’s call to police just hours before she vanished.
Coroner Ryan this morning heard evidence from Ms Asher’s father Michael and older sister Angelique Campbell.
Her mother Betty and youngest sister Lainie were also in court, supported by other relatives.
The women held hands, hugged and cried while Mr Asher spoke passionately about the disappearance.
He saw her the day before she went to Piha and said she appeared to be okay. He spoke of her history of mental illness and his efforts to keep her safe when she was having a bipolar episode.
Mr Asher said his daughter’s death had a major impact on the family, and nothing would change that.
“Whatever we do, whatever we say here, it’s not going to bring Iraena back,” he said. “So what’s the point?”
Mrs Campbell gave evidence next, describing Ms Asher as bubbly and outgoing. She was adamant her sister was not depressed and was “religious” about taking care of herself as she hated when she was affected by her disorder.
The inquest also heard from Dr Wayne Miles, a specialist consultant psychiatrist. Mr Miles was asked, after reading all the evidence from witnesses about Ms Asher’s last days, to make a conclusion about her state of mental health.
He said after reviewing all the statements he was still “50/50” as to whether she was affected by illicit drugs or had a rapid bipolar episode. He said some behaviour she displayed at Piha made him lean more towards drugs, others were clear signs of her mental disorder.
“Something obviously went wrong somewhere”
The inquest will continue tomorrow afternoon. The last people to see Ms Asher alive will also give evidence today, and there will be further testimony regarding the police 111 system.