Lower Hutt killing: Police seek dashcam footage after homicide

Craig McKelvie in 2009. Photo / File

Police are asking for dashcam footage after a man was fatally assaulted in Lower Hutt on Friday night.

Craig McKelvie died in hospital after being seriously assaulted, Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Todd said.

He was found at a Mason Ave property.

A post-mortem examination is being conducted today.

As part of the ongoing homicide inquiry, police are scouring CCTV footage to see whether it could help the investigation.

Officers are door-knocking in the area, asking locals if they may have any information which could assist police.

"Police are also appealing to anyone who may have dash-camera footage that could be of use, to come forward," Todd said.

"We're particularly interested in footage between about 9.45pm and 10.15pm in the Randwick Road area of Moera, and surrounding streets."

Information can be given to police via 105, referencing file number 221015/8888 and clicking 'Update My Report', or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.

In April of this year, McKelvie was sentenced to three months home detention for assaulting an elderly man who had taken out a $10,000 hit on his head.

During the trial, Judge Davidson described McKelvie as a "career criminal", with a criminal history that spans from the mid-1980s right up to 2021, including a conviction for attempted murder.

On the evening of May 3, 2021, McKelvie and an associate went to the address where an elderly man, his victim, was visiting.

Throwing petrol on the man, McKelvie described the threatening act as impulsive. The pair then assaulted the victim, punching and slapping him in the face and striking him with a hammer.

McKelvie's victim suffered significant injuries including burns to the stomach, neck and forearm as well as bruising from the physical attack.

The court heard that McKelvie denied involvement in a number of acts outlined in the summary of facts, including the throwing of the scalding hot water, the striking of the man with a wheel brace and the theft of a credit card.

In December 2005, McKelvie kidnapped a woman who was forced to watch as her dog was shot in front of her.

The 20-year-old woman was exercising her crossbred dog Iwi in a Riverbank St park when McKelvie allegedly drove up in a car, pointed a sawn-off shotgun at her and ordered her and the dog into the vehicle.

They were then taken to an isolated part of the Akatarawa Cemetery, where McKelvie allegedly loaded the gun and allegedly pointed it at the woman before shooting the dog.

McKelvie pleaded not guilty to seven charges including kidnapping, threatening to kill and wilfully ill-treating an animal, and the Wellington District Court judge had no choice but to dismiss the charges after the complainant failed to show up to court.