Ellerslie double homicide: one of the men accused of killing Auckland couple loses suppression bid - he is Shu Man Poon

One of the men accused of killing Ellerslie couple Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok and Mei Han Chong last year can now be named.

Shu Man Poon, aged 42, has lost his battle for interim suppression until his trial next year.

The decision of Justice Christine Gordon released today also refused interim name suppression for his co-accused, who is aged in his 20s.

But his name still cannot be published as his lawyer signalled the possibility of an appeal at an earlier hearing.

Both men earlier pleaded not guilty to murdering the couple.

Shu Man Poon when he made his first appearance in November via audio visual link in the Auckland District Court charged with murdering Fuk-Fu Joesph Kwok and his wife Mei Han Chong at the home in Ellerslie. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Most of Justice Gordon’s written decision is suppressed aside from the result, and the fact Poon’s failed bid for continuing suppression related to concerns about the health of his mother.

Last month, police laid a new charge against the pair of conspiracy to murder a third person, a woman unrelated to Kwok and Chong.

Court documents list Poon’s occupation as waiter and state he lived in Glenfield on the North Shore at the time of his arrest.

He is accused alongside the younger man of killing the couple on November 5.

The alleged plot to kill the other woman took place sometime between June 26 and November 4 last year, other court documents state. A police statement said the charge “relates to a separate matter”. The charge of conspiracy to murder carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The man in his 40s, from Glenfield on the North Shore, was the first to be arrested. He was found by police in Hamilton a few days after they allege he was involved in killing the couple on November 5 at their Ellerslie home in Celtic Cres.

The younger man was arrested shortly after at a home in Glenfield. Both were granted interim name suppression and remanded without plea when they appeared via audio-visual link in the Auckland District Court earlier this month.

The younger man is also charged with stealing the couple’s car.

Kwok, 66, was stabbed to death on Sunday, November 5, and a family member found his body at the couple’s home the following Monday evening.

His wife, Mei Han Chong, 67, went missing after the alleged murder, prompting a massive police search for her and the couple’s car. Police initially said Chong could have been either a suspect or a victim.

Mei Han Chong and Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok. Two men will stand trial next year for their murders. Photo / NZ Police

Police later revealed Chong didn’t drive, and evidence inside the couple’s home suggested she didn’t leave of her own accord. Officers then found her body in a bush area in Greenhithe overnight on Thursday, November 9.

Kwok’s colleagues at North Shore Hospital said he would be deeply missed as a “respected” colleague and “good guy”.

He was a senior orthopaedic theatre nurse.

Kwok was “a very wise, respected” health worker and a “good guy”, a staff member told the Herald.

Brad Healey, interim group director of operations at Te Whatu Ora-Waitematā, extended condolences to the hospital’s theatre team, who were mourning their “respected colleague.

“Joseph was a valued and well-liked member of our North Shore Hospital family and I would like to acknowledge his exceptional service,” Healey said.

“Our hearts are with those who worked with him.

“They are feeling this loss immensely and we will ensure they are supported through this period.”