Four people in court accused of Christchurch murder of Kane Wayman

Christchurch man Kane Alan Wayman, 46, died on January 1. Photo / Supplied

Four people charged over the New Year's Day murder of Head Hunters gang associate Kane Wayman will stand trial next year.

Wayman, 46, was dropped off at Christchurch Hospital with critical injuries on the morning of January 1.

He died soon after.

Lyndon Sheed, 41, Elizabeth Adora Sheed, 24, Charvae Shelford, 21, and a 24-year-old man with interim name suppression have all been charged with murder over Wayman's violent death.

They first appeared in district courts in the days after the homicide probe was launched and were all granted interim name suppression.

At the High Court in Christchurch this morning, name suppression lapsed for the Sheeds and Shelford.

Today, they all entered not guilty pleas and a trial date starting on March 7 next year was confirmed.

They will all be back in court on March 26 this year for a case review hearing.

Wayman, a father and former pimp described by a friend as "the biggest softy ever", was a key witness in the murder trial of Jule Patrick Burns who was found guilty of murdering Christchurch sex worker Susan "Suzie" Sutherland.

Sutherland was picked up by Burns on Manchester St in the early hours of April 16, 2005, before he strangled her and dumped her naked body in a vacant section on Peterborough St.

Wayman, the court heard, had been acting as a minder for another sex worker on Manchester St – the city's main red light area – that day and saw Sutherland get into a white Honda Prelude - the same car that Burns owned.

Wayman said the sex worker he looked over had been hassled on a number of occasions by a man driving a white Honda Prelude and had "chased the man off".

After Sutherland's killing, Wayman gave police a description of the driver which matched the appearance of Burns.

However, when Wayman saw Burns at a preliminary court hearing, he didn't think he was the same man who had been causing problems for the sex worker he minded for.

But when the case went to trial, the case took another twist when Wayman at said the guy who was doing the harassing was indeed Burns.

Burns, a South African immigrant, was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 17-year, non-parole period.

He appealed his conviction to the Court of Appeal, arguing a miscarriage of justice. Burns' lawyer even highlighted Wayman's recollections but the appeal was thrown out.