Dunedin man admits role in Polly Riddell death

Polly Riddell. Photo / Facebook

A Dunedin man has pleaded guilty over the death of an ex-judge’s daughter, on the eve of his jury trial.

Carl Frederick Longshaw, 66, was originally charged with manslaughter three years after the death of Polly Anna Arabella Ruth Riddell in October 2018.

He appeared in the High Court at Dunedin this morning where the Crown amended the charge to neglect of a vulnerable adult — one with a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

Longshaw’s guilty plea meant the jury trial scheduled to begin on Monday was formally vacated.

Polly Riddell went to visit the defendant, described in court documents as his “on and off” partner, the evening before her death.

She spoke to a family member on the phone that night, who later described her mood as uncharacteristically “flat”.

Along with prescription medication, Polly Riddell took other drugs, including methadone, morphine and MDMA, the court heard.

Longshaw suspected as much and “took it upon himself to care for her”.

Carl Longshaw allegedly failed to seek medical attention for a woman before she died. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery

An hour before calling emergency services, the man became concerned about her state, mistakenly believing she had pneumonia.

He made sure her airway was clear but Polly Riddell desperately needed medical attention.

When Longshaw called 111 at 5.58pm on October 16, 2018, he said: “I think my partner is dead.”

Medics arrived to find the defendant was right.

A sample of Polly Riddell’s blood showed evidence of a variety of substances in her system, but a pathologist said she might have survived had appropriate treatment been administered sooner.

Longshaw told police he had cared for the victim “until a time when he believed her condition was such that he needed to call emergency services”.

Polly Riddell was the daughter of former District Court judge Rosemary Riddell who, since her retirement from the bench, has lived in Central Otago.

She previously told the Otago Daily Times the family had been searching for answers since the 40-year-old’s death.

Polly Riddell had recently returned from an oversees trip to Europe where she enjoyed spending time with her brother, had sold a property in Brighton and was building a house in Ida Valley.

“She came back, ready to turn 40, and five weeks later she was dead,” said her mother.

“It was incomprehensible, really, and it still is. In one sense, time hasn’t dimmed that sense of incredulity, that someone so stroppy and loud and bolshy is no longer here. It just seems weird and wrong.”

Longshaw was bailed and will be sentenced in October.

Justice Cameron Mander said his bail status was no indication the defendant was looking at a non-custodial sentence.