Murder accused judged fit to stand trial
A High Court judge has entered a not-guilty plea for a woman accused of murdering a Tauranga man.
It comes after Justice Neil Campbell found the defendant fit to stand trial.
Police previously said officers were called to a Tauranga address on the evening of last September 7 where they found the man dead.
The judge had called for reports to be prepared by two separate mental health experts into the woman’s fitness to stand trial — and whether she was legally insane at the time of the death.
Justice Campbell made the direction under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act.
The woman, whose name and identifying details are suppressed, appeared in the High Court at Tauranga on Wednesday via audio-visual link from a remand centre.
Justice Campbell said after reading both reports he was satisfied the woman was fit to stand trial and sought a plea to the murder charge to be entered by the defendant or her lawyer Asta Gold.
Gold asked for more time to discuss the reports with her client and obtain written plea instructions.
Crown solicitor Anna Pollett argued that a not-guilty plea should be entered or deemed to be entered given a jury trial start date of November 18 in the Hamilton High Court was earlier allocated and there was a need to progress these matters.
Justice Campbell agreed and entered a not-guilty plea to the charge on the defendant’s behalf, granting Gold some time to obtain written instructions on whether the notguilty plea was to be advanced by the defendant.
Pollett also submitted there was no longer a basis for the defendant’s name and identifying details to be suppressed.
Justice Campbell gave Gold until March 27 to file a written application for continuation of the interim suppression orders otherwise they would automatically lapse on that day.
The defendant’s next court appearance is April 24 for a pretrial hearing.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.