A second person charged in relation to the death of a 5-month-old baby boy is in custody awaiting an appearance in the High Court. The 31-year-old woman was charged with murder over the weekend following a homicide investigation into the death of the child in a house at Raumanga last month. Police were called to a Raumanga house by ambulance staff about 8.30pm on August 22. The baby died at the scene. The woman appeared in the Whangarei District Court yesterday and was remanded in custody without plea. She has interim name suppression and will appear in the High Court on September 30. The second person, a 28-year-old man facing the same charge, was due to appear in court late yesterday and again in the High Court on Thursday when the charge of murder will be withdrawn. Police say the original charge of assault on a child would be reinstated. As this matter is before the court, police are unable to comment further.
Charge in arson case
A 38-year-old man has been charged with arson after a house on Roma Rd, Ahipara, was badly damaged by fire on Thursday night. He appeared before the Kaitaia District Court on Friday and was remanded in custody until September 25. The three-bedroom house was well ablaze when firefighters were called just after 8pm, but Ahipara's chief fire officer, Dave Ross, said crews had it "nailed" within an hour. A spokesman for the Kaitaia CIB said there was no link between the fire and others that had destroyed or damaged properties at Ahipara over the last five months.
Police car damaged
A second police patrol car in Whangārei was damaged during pursuits in less than a week. Shortly before 10pm on Saturday, police attempted to stop a speeding vehicle on Vinegar Hill Rd. The driver failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The alleged offending driver was arrested after the vehicle he was driving came to a stop near the intersection of Corks and Kiripaka Rds. A police patrol car sustained minor damage. A 25-year-old man is due to appear in Whangarei District Court today on charges of failing to stop, driving while disqualified and reckless driving. On Tuesday last week, another driver was taken into custody after leading police on a chase from Tikipunga to Pataua North.
