Man charged with murder of Christchurch carer Val Heaney appears in court and loses name suppression

Elliot Prakash appeared in the High Court in Christchurch today. Photo / NZME

Name suppression has lifted on Elliot Ajay Prakash, the man charged with murdering Valerie Heaney in her Christchurch home on April 3.

The suppression was granted for 43-year-old Prakash when he was arrested and appeared in the Christchurch District Court on April 18.

It lapsed when he made his first High Court appearance before Justice Cameron Mander today.

Counsel Kerry Cook made no further applications today.

Prakash was remanded in custody to May 27 when he will be back in court.

Heaney, 64, was isolating at her Bromley home with Covid-19 when she was killed, and her body was found the next day.

Police originally treated her death as "unexplained" but after an autopsy it was upgraded to a homicide inquiry.

Police said Prakash was known to Heaney.

Court documents confirm he lived at her address.

Heaney had worked as a carer at a service provider for people with intellectual disabilities.

Her daughter, Natasha, who had Down syndrome, died in 2021.

Val Heaney was a respected carer. Photo / Supplied

Heaney's devastated family earlier told the Herald they were "grieving the loss of a much-loved family member".

"Our family has been inundated with support and we are grateful for this," they said in a statement released through police.

"Val was a carer for people with intellectual disabilities, and a community support worker, which is testament to the kind, wonderful person she was.

"We are grateful to the support of the police and Victim Support, and are desperate to know exactly what happened to Val."

Heaney had lived in Walcot St for decades and started running her family home as a boarding house after her husband Gavin died around 13 years ago.

The experienced carer preferred to get "mature age group" boarders, according to previous advertisements and it's understood that three or four people would be living there at a time.