Accused 'hung out' at shelter after death

Allison McPhee, murdered in the Newton Park Flats, Wellington. Photo / supplied

The man accused of brutally killing 42-year-old Allison McPhee in her Wellington council flat started hanging out at the city's night shelter from the day her battered and bloodied body was discovered.

John Hone Haerewa even attempted to wash his clothes there illicitly, night shelter manager Michael Leon told the High Court in Wellington.

Haerewa, 53, has denied murdering Ms McPhee, his sometime partner, who had only moved into the Newtown Park bed-sit a few weeks before her death.

Mr Leon, giving evidence at the start of the second week of the trial, told the jury that he had known Haerewa "on and off" for a few years.

The accused used to "pop in" to the 23-bed overnight dormitory a couple of times a week at most, sometimes just to see people.

But he had never actually been a resident at the neighbouring hostel where up to 22 homeless men could stay for a maximum of six nights.

Haerewa was quite well known to the itinerant population who used the service, said Mr Leon.

From July 28 last year - the day Ms McGhee's body was discovered in her flat - Haerewa was at the shelter every day.

"I think he was visiting the hostel residents regularly and seemed to be staying there," Mr Leon told the court.

After the victim's body was found, the witness arrived at work to find Haerewa was at the shelter sniffing from a glue bag. He got "verbally aggressive", began shouting when asked to leave, and refused to go.

Told the police had been called to remove him, the accused left.

On July 30, Mr Leon said the accused was seen in a room at the hostel with a number of the residents.

A detective was at the property going through CCTV footage, but the manager was not given any details of the operation and said he "just went on about my duties".

Later he went to check if Haerewa was still in the hostel and found him "trying to do his washing in our hostel laundry area", which was for residents' use only.

Mr Leon continued: "He was trying to push a few buttons to get the machine going. I pushed them for him."

The accused was arrested for murder on August 5, 2010.

Earlier today, the jury heard lengthy and detailed evidence from ESR analysts on items found at the murder scene and DNA and blood samples from exhibits produced at the trial.

Police witnesses were called to give evidence of Haerewa being found on July 21 last year slumped on a bench in central Wellington during the All Whites victory parade through the city.

Heavily intoxicated and initially unresponsive, he was taken to police cells to detox and released in the early hours of the next day.

By late that night, the prosecution alleges, Allison McPhee was bashed to death.

- NZPA