Murder charge
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly murdered in her bedroom by a doctor as her mother and stepfather slept nearby. Amber-rose Rush was found dead on her bed by her mother at their Dunedin home on Saturday morning. The teenager’s older brother, Jayden, told Stuff he checked for signs of life after hearing his mother screaming but found none. Yesterday, a 30-year-old man was charged with Amber-rose’s murder. According to the Medical Council, the accused is a registered junior doctor. Police said he was known to the teen. During yesterday’s court hearing, a group of angry men repeatedly yelled obscenities at the man from the back of the court. He was remanded in custody. Social media has been flooded with tributes to the popular supermarket worker, who recently left school. Police said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to the teen’s death.
Caught by the tide
A man who drowned at a rural south Auckland beach at Awhitu Regional Park is believed to be a father of five, who had another child on the way. The man and reportedly two of his children, a son and daughter, became trapped in the rising tide about noon on Sunday, sparking a water rescue. It was understood the trio had made their way by foot to Kauritutahi Island, about 200 metres offshore, to fish at low tide, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust spokesman Lincoln Davies said. They were caught by the incoming tide on the way back, he said. A jetski driver and two kayakers pulled the trio in to shore but the man could not be revived.
Death on rural road
Police say the man who died in a crash at Te Kuiti at the weekend was 31-year-old James Ritchie of Piopio. Ritchie was the driver of a late model ute with three others on-board that crashed off a country road near Te Kuiti, at 4.18am on Sunday. He was trapped in the vehicle and died at the scene. For some yet to be determined reason, Ritchie lost control of the ute he was driving on a relatively straight stretch of road, Senior Sergeant Pete van de Wetering said.
Motorcyclist dies
The motorcyclist who died at the scene of a crash in rural Hawke’s Bay was 56-year-old Napier man Dag Tore Olberg. Two motorcycles and a truck collided at Otane, about 3.30pm on Sunday. The second motorcyclist, a woman in her late 50s, who was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital after the crash in a serious condition, was now stable, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed.
Fatal crash
A woman who died in a car crash in Waikato was believed to be due to give birth in May. Nineteen-year-old Kelsey Runga, of Rotorua, died in a two-car crash on State Highway 2 at Waikino on Friday night. She had posted a picture of an ultrasound – taken at nearly 24 weeks’ gestation – online in mid-january.