Accused killer expected to plead self-defence

CRIME SCENE: Police examining the scene where they believed Joseph Rowland Keogh suffered fatal injuries on Saturday night.

A 50-year-old man accused of murder is expected to plead not guilty, on the basis that he acted in self-defence.

So lawyer Wayne Cribb told the Kaitaia Community Magistrate's Court yesterday when the man made a brief appearance, charged with murdering 29-year-old Joseph Rowland Keogh. He was remanded without plea, and without requesting bail, to appear in the High Court at Whangarei on April 30, Mr Cribb saying his counsel may seek to bring a bail hearing forward.

Interim name suppression was granted, without opposition from the police.

The man was arrested on Sunday morning, without incident, following Mr Keogh's death shortly after arriving at Kaitaia Hospital on Saturday night. Police are releasing few details, but it is believed that Mr Keogh and another person were involved in a fight on the side of Fairburn Road. Two of Mr Keogh's children and two young siblings were believed to have witnessed what happened, and drove the wounded man to the nearest house.

An ambulance was called from there and Mr Keogh was driven the approximately 12 kilometres to the hospital.

The officer in charge of the inquiry, Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston, said Mr Keogh's injuries were believed to be the result of the altercation, but he declined to offer any detail of those injuries or whether a weapon had been involved. Those questions would be answered by the post mortem examination, he said, adding that the arrested man and Mr Keogh had lived in the same locality and were known to each other.

He also declined to speculate on a motive for the altercation, but said police were satisfied that it had not been gang-related.

A team of 17 had been assembled for the inquiry. They included a number of child specialists, who were helping provide support to the four children, aged from 3 to 13 years. The priority, Detective Senior Sergeant Johnston said on Sunday, was looking after the children and giving them all the support possible.

"They have suffered a great trauma," he said, adding yesterday that they had done an "amazing" job of getting Mr Keogh away from the scene. Child, Youth and Family had assisted by providing specialist interviewers and on-going trauma counselling.

Police were still at the scene yesterday, while a car parked outside Kaitaia Hospital underwent forensic examination on Sunday. It had since been returned to the family, Mr Johnston said yesterday.

Witnesses were also still being interviewed.

"We're still in the very early stages," he added.