Electronic bail denied

AmberRose murder: Judge releases bail decision

THE Dunedin health professional charged with murdering a 16yearold girl has been denied electronic bail.

The 30yearold accused of killing teenager AmberRose Rush at her Corstorphine home on February 2 appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday before Justice Gerald Nation.

Electronic bail would have resulted in him being subject to a range of conditions, including being GPS monitored.

After hearing arguments from defence counsel Mark Ryan and Crown prosecutor Robin Bates on April 9, the judge reserved his decision and suppressed all contents of the hearing.

He released his judgement refusing bail yesterday, which means the man will be behind bars until his trial in March next year unless he successfully appeals.

The defendant previously pleaded not guilty to murder as well as four counts of threatening to kill.

While Justice Nation declined an application for continued name suppression at an appearance last month, that decision was appealed by defence counsel Marie TaylorCyphers.

It means the defendant’s identity will remain under wraps until the determination of the matter by the Court of Appeal.

That hearing will take place on Monday in Auckland.

Other suppression orders covering the case restrict publication of the charges faced by the medical professional and the specifics of the allegations.

AmberRose was found dead by family members the day after her alleged murder.

Police confirmed the man accused of attacking the victim was known to her.

In the following days, officers launched a search of waterways at Blackhead and later confirmed they found ‘‘an item of interest’’.

They then asked for public sightings of a silver BMW travelling between Dunedin and Balclutha in the early hours of February 3.

AmberRose was farewelled at a colourful funeral on February 10 where she was described as the ‘‘life of the party’’, who pretended to be tough but was a ‘‘marshmallow’’ on the inside.