A formal inquest into the deaths of policeman Len Snee and gunman Jan Molenaar in the Napier siege four months ago will be held early next year.
The plans have been confirmed to Hawke's Bay Today by Southern Region coroner Dave Crerar, of Dunedin.
He was in Hawke's Bay last week for pre-hearing meetings with police, Snee and Molenaar family representatives, and Molenaar's partner, Delwyn Keefe, and had hoped to confirm a date soon afterwards.
By late yesterday, a date was still unable to be confirmed, but he said "it won't be this year". He hoped it would be in the first quarter of 2010, completing the process before the first anniversary of the May 7-9 tragedy.
He said witnesses would give evidence relating to the events surrounding the shooting of Mr Snee on May 7, and the suspected self-inflicted death of Molenaar during the two-day siege which followed.
Senior Constable Snee died and fellow officers Bruce Miller and Grant Diver were seriously injured while retreating from the armed Molenaar during a mid-morning Thursday search for cannabis at the gunman's Chaucer Road home.
Molenaar also shot and wounded friend Lenny Holmwood, who tried to intervene, and then fired dozens of shots from the property over the ensuing hours.
He was found dead in his home when police forced their way in, in an end to a drama which had locked down a large portion of Napier for more than two days.
Mr Crerar was appointed according to a protocol which says inquests into shootings of or by police should be conducted by coroners from outside the region.
At the time of the shootings, Mr Crerar was acting coroner for the Eastern Region, deputising for Hastings-based regional coroner Chris Devonport.
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY
Napier siege inquest early next year
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