Hoaxer a gutter rat says trust

The person behind the hoax phone call and letters claiming to have critical information in the Jack Nicholas murder inquiry is as cold and calculating as the killer himself, says the man who took the original call.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust received the phone call in late April. The caller claimed to have been an accessory after the fact in the murder of the Hawkes Bay farmer.

The man then sent two letters stipulating conditions before he would come forward with the information, but police revealed the same hoaxer had sent similar letters in two other major murder investigations.

Garth McVicar, who received the original call in the Hawkes Bay office of the Sensible Sentencing Trust, said this had to rate as one of cruellest jokes anyone could play on the families of murder victims.

"These families have lost someone they love. The only possible consolation for them is that the person responsible is caught and brought to justice quickly. These hoax letters would have got their hopes up. This is an absolutely gut-wrenching and soul-destroying thing to do.

"The circumstances surrounding Jack's murder are difficult enough for his family to live with, but for anyone to contemplate a hoax like this puts them in a class of their own.

"They are absolute gutter rats. They don't come much lower than scum like this".

Mr McVicar said the trust had received other information that had been handed on to the police. He reiterated that the reward offer was now $50,000 and urged anyone with further information to come forward.

"No matter how insignificant the information may seem, please get in touch and let the police decide. We certainly hope the information the police now have regarding this hoaxer will lead to an early arrest and end this person's vicious tactics."

- NZPA