Man charged over cleaning gun

WELLINGTON: A Porirua man has been accused of tampering with evidence in relation to the murder of Rau Tongia — making him the fifth person charged over the death.

The 19yearold appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday afternoon, charged with being an accessory after the fact to Tongia’s murder by cleaning a silverbarrelled shotgun to help another defendant avoid conviction.

Mr Tongia (33) was found dead in a Karori home on December 20. The investigation into his death is continuing.

Masterton woman Shayde Weston (24) has been charged with murdering him, and two other women have been charged with being a party to the murder.

Another woman, 20yearold Phoenix Colvin, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the murder by hiding a firearm to help Weston avoid conviction.

The other two women charged, aged 27 and 35, have interim name suppression.

The man who appeared in court yesterday was also granted interim suppression and was released on bail to reappear in the High Court at Wellington next month.

He has not entered a plea. Police revealed in January they had found a firearm during a search in Wilton that they believed was linked to Tongia’s death.

It is being forensically analysed.

Police said they were also looking into whether the weapon was linked to other offending across the district.

In late January, Wellington field crime manager Detective Inspector Darrell Harpur foreshadowed that more arrests would be coming after police charged Weston.

‘‘This is the third arrest we have made in relation to the death of Mr Tongia, and while the primary offenders have now been charged, I am confident it won’t be the last,’’ he said.

Last month, police extended their sympathies to Mr Tongia’s loved ones.

‘‘I want to acknowledge the investigation team who worked tirelessly on this very complex case, and commend them on their professionalism and dedication to holding those involved to account.

‘‘They worked long hours and took valuable time away from family throughout the holiday period to ensure justice was done for Rau Tongia.’’