Murdered woman was to claim rape, court told

Northland woman Katherine Sheffield was about to lay a rape complaint against the man now accused of her murder, a High Court trial in Auckland was told today.

Noel Rogers, 31, from Kaitaia, has denied murdering Katherine Sheffield, 22, in 1994.

Ms Sheffield's lover Lawrence (Borrie) Lloyd served nearly eight years in prison after being wrongly convicted of her manslaughter.

Crown prosecutor Stuart Grieve told the court today that before she died Ms Sheffield had said she would lay a rape complaint against Rogers.

"The Crown is not seeking evidence of a rape but what is important is knowledge that a complaint of rape was going to be laid by Kathy against the accused," he said.

The trial before Justice Helen Winkelmann is expected to last five weeks.

- NZPA