Court of Appeal to rule on bail

A DUNEDIN doctor accused of murdering a Dunedin teen has taken his bid for bail to the Court of Appeal.

Venod Skantha (30) is charged with murdering 16yearold AmberRose Rush, who was found dead in her Corstorphine home on February 2.

The defendant appeared by audiovisual link yesterday before the Court of Appeal, which is sitting in Dunedin for the week.

Skantha, a doctor at Dunedin Hospital, was charged days after the alleged murder and granted interim name suppression.

That lapsed in May after he pleaded not guilty to the charge, as well as a count of indecent assault and four of threatening to kill.

Skantha was previously denied electronicallymonitored bail by the High Court and yesterday after noon Justices Stephen Kos, Forrie Miller and Christine French heard his appeal.

The contents of the hearing are suppressed by law and Justice Kos said the court would reserve its decision.

A written judgement would be released as soon as possible, he said.

Skantha graduated from Auckland University in 2014 and was previously registered to practise medicine as a ‘‘house officer’’ at the Southern District Health Board.

After Skantha’s name became public, AmberRose’s mother, Lisa Ann, told the Otago Daily Times she remained inconsolable.

Three weeks later, Mrs Rush was also found dead. Police said the circumstances were not suspicious.

Skantha is scheduled to appear in court again later this month.