The 52-year-old man charged with the manslaughter of Linda Woods appeared in Kaikohe District Court today. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The 52-year-old man charged with the manslaughter of Linda Woods appeared in Kaikohe District Court today. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A 52-year-old man has appeared in court charged with killing Linda Woods just hours before the much-loved Kaikohe woman is due to be laid to rest.
The man was charged with manslaughter, burglary and aggravated assault when he appeared in the Kaikohe District Court at 10am this morning.
Judge Greg Davis refused an application for interim name suppression, saying suppressing his name could lead to incorrect speculation about his identity, but that was appealed by the man’s lawyer, Catherine Cull.
That means he cannot be identified until the appeal is heard or until the matter is revisited when he appears in the High Court at Whangārei on June 23.
The man, dressed in a police-issue blue boiler suit and flanked by security guards, stood with his head bowed and showed little emotion during the hearing.
Cull sought interim name suppression until the man appeared in the high court later this month. She also requested suppression of the draft summary of facts.
Police prosecutor Russell Price agreed with suppressing the draft summary of facts, saying it was an active investigation and some details could still change, but opposed name suppression.
Releasing the man’s name would put minds at rest and end speculation about the man’s identity, especially given the victim’s and defendant’s families lived in such close proximity.
Linda Woods, 71, died while undergoing dialysis care when an intruder entered her Kaikohe home. Photo / Peter De Graaf
Judge Davis said he had to consider the principle of open justice and the fact the media was a surrogate for the community in a case that had attracted significant public attention.
Also, suppression could create fertile ground for speculation, he said.
“This is a small community. I imagine rumour, gossip and innuendo is rife about who may have been arrested and brought before the court. It is important that inappropriate speculation is not cast on those who live in close vicinity to the deceased.”
Judge Davis therefore declined to grant suppression but because that decision was appealed, he issued an interim suppression order which means the man’s name and photo cannot be published until June 23.
He did, however, grant the request for suppression of the draft summary of facts.
No application for bail was made.
Only a few of the victim’s relatives attended the hearing because her tangi was taking place at the same time.
Police examine a house on Taraire St in Kaikohe where a man was arrested in relation to the death of Linda Woods last week. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Police said the man was arrested without incident during a search at a Kaikohe property on Tuesday morning.
The house where the accused man lived is not far away from the tidy Taraire St home where Woods lived with multiple generations of female family members.
The house was cordoned off and under guard yesterday by police. A marquee of the type used to protect evidence had been erected on the front lawn and forensic specialists in blue boiler suits could be seen examining the property.
In preceding days police had been closing in on the suspect and calling for information about a pair of sports shoes and denim cut-off shorts left at the scene.
They released a still from a cellphone video taken by one of the women at the address in the hope someone would recognise the man or his clothing, and had called for sightings of a man fleeing the property without shoes or shorts around midnight last Thursday.
Woods, who was 71 and had a medical condition, died following a struggle with an intruder found in one of the women’s bedrooms.
A niece and two daughters are believed to have witnessed the home invasion which was later described by police as a sexually motivated burglary.
A breakthrough came on Monday when investigators revealed they had discovered traces of DNA on the clothing left at the scene.
It did not match any DNA samples in the national database but police had started asking people who fitted the intruder’s description to undergo voluntary DNA tests.
Police thought it was likely he lived nearby, given that he fled on foot, but did not rule out other possibilities.
Following the arrest, Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston, who is leading the investigation, said police were not seeking anyone else in relation but investigators still had a lot of work to do over the coming days.
“I would like to thank the community for their cooperation throughout this investigation, particularly those who contacted the team to provide information.”
Kaikohe District Court was packed with family members and supporters during the 52-year-old man’s appearance this morning. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The community would likely have questions but now that someone was before the courts police could not comment on some aspects of the case.
“What we can say is that we are pleased to have brought a resolution for Linda’s whānau. Her death was a tragedy, and we know that this has been felt deeply throughout the community,” Johnston said.
“We hope this arrest will bring some comfort to both Linda’s family and the wider community in Kaikohe.”
Woods is due to be buried at noon today.
A police officer stands guard at a house where a man was arrested in relation to the death of Linda Woods. Photo / Michael Cunningham
