Major police search at another house
Abandoned houses are becoming a theme in the investigation into the suspicious death of Richard Leman.
Police have zeroed on a second derelict North Canterbury house, with a steady stream of detectives searching the grounds, gutters and rooms for evidence on Friday.
It has been more than a month since the 41-year-old’s body was found inside his white Nissan Fuga in the garage of another abandoned house in Rangiora.
Speculation remains rife about what happened to him but police are tight-lipped.
The burnt-out house was one of three raided by police in Rangiora on Thursday. The old bungalow was set alight in September, allegedly after a molotov cocktail was thrown at the house. The second house sits directly opposite the main search site. Armed police busted through the fence of the Percival St property about 9am, a resident said.
The third, in Good St, Rangiora, is less than 300m from the house where Leman’s body was found. A resident at the house declined to comment on Friday.
Police set up camp outside the charred Southbrook St property, with police tape, a tent and blinding spotlights garnering the attention of every passing driver at the busy intersection.
The bones of the building remain; charred framing, the occasional lace curtain and a fragile chimney that looks like it would fall over if sneezed on.
The remaining stained-glass windows are illuminated by the spotlights bearing down on the house. Despite persistent rain, officers were pacing the backyard, climbing a ladder to peer over where the roof should sit and checking the gutters for evidence.
Detectives were seen walking out of the property with what appeared to be a radar machine that would allow them to search below ground. They were also seen with angle grinders and a crowbar in hand.
A neighbour said she saw plumbers turn up to assist police with their investigations on Thursday afternoon.
Nearby residents said they believed the house was tied up with meth dealers, with cars arriving outside the property ‘‘reliably at 3am’’.
One woman said the house was raided twice by armed police in the year before it burned down.
Police launched a homicide investigation after Leman’s body was found in his car in a garage of a derelict property on the corner of Tyler and Durham streets on April 17.
The father of three was last seen on the evening of April 11 outside Rangiora’s Lilybrook shops. Friends and family later appealed online for information on his whereabouts, worried about his safety and mental health.
More than a month later, six properties across Rangiora have been searched as part of the investigation. No arrests have been made. Police also searched a property in Rolleston, where Leman previously lived.
Locals have expressed concern about the lack of information from police, with neighbours saying the armed police presence is scaring their children.
Leman’s family believe he was murdered by unknown assailants.
In an emotional post on Facebook, Nicky Leman said her ‘‘much loved’’ brother would not be coming home as they had hoped and prayed for.