While the nation reels from shocking accusations in the aftermath of Tom Phillips’ fatal police shootout, a close friend of his former partner, Cat, has stepped forward to defend her character — and shed light on the years of struggle she endured while her three children were missing.
Over the past year, Cat worked at a farm in Waitomo, just a short distance — less than 300 meters — from where her former partner met his tragic end. Clive and Sandra Morgan, farmers on Te Anga Rd, recall Cat working on their property, spraying gorse, unaware at the time that a deadly standoff with police was unfolding nearby.
“She’s a good lady,” Clive Morgan said. “Very strong, physically fit, completely normal, and intelligent. She’s also an incredibly talented sheep shearer.”
But the Morgans emphasized that Cat’s strength is not just physical. “She’s had to live with the fact that her children were taken from her and missing for more than three years. No one can imagine what that kind of heartbreak does to a person,” Sandra Morgan added.
For Cat, life has been a daily struggle — balancing work, grief, and the hope that one day she would be reunited with her children. Yet even amid public scrutiny and judgment, she has remained resilient.
“Before you start condemning her for no reason, understand what she has been through,” Clive Morgan said. “These past four years have been unimaginably difficult. Anyone in her shoes would be tested beyond belief.”
While Rozzi Phillips and others have made explosive claims in recent days, Cat’s friends and colleagues emphasize the humanity behind her story: a mother living through an agonizing ordeal, fighting to survive, and striving to keep her strength intact in the face of tragedy.
👉 In a case filled with conflicting stories and accusations, Cat’s quiet perseverance reminds the nation that sometimes the real battles are fought far from the headlines, in the private pain and courage of those left behind.
