KEY POINTS:
A 29-year-old man charged with assaulting a youth whose body was found in a Christchurch park this week was refused bail in Christchurch District Court today.
Sonny Avon Rehu, unemployed, of no fixed address, entered no plea to a charge of assaulting Sean Martin Finnerty, 16, on February 12 - the day before Mr Finnerty's body was found with facial injuries in Auburn Reserve in Upper Riccarton suburb.
Judge Paul Kellar refused an application for bail from the duty solicitor and remanded Rehu in custody until February 22.
Crown prosecutor Pip Currie told the judge an arrest warrant had been issued for a 23-year-old man, Thomas Tihema Christie, who is also charged with assaulting Mr Finnerty on February 12.
Ms Currie said Christie was alleged to have made the 111 call alerting emergency services to Mr Finnerty's body in the park.
Mr Finnerty's body was found only hours after he ran away from a Child, Youth and Family foster home.
He was reported missing from his family home on Friday and found by police on Sunday.
After a discussion with the family and CYF he was placed in a foster home in suburban Richmond.
"He was not there in any form of custody," Mr Williams said.
He left the home on Monday morning with another boy who was going to school but did not return.
Mr Williams said he was confident the mystery of Mr Finnerty's death would be solved.
"There's quite a bit of forensic evidence that we're gathering and I'm sure that we'll get to the bottom of this."
He said there had been a great response from the public with information, but the inquiry team would still like to hear from the person who called the ambulance for Mr Finnerty.
"We know who he is and he knows we're looking for him."
Mr Williams said investigators still needed sightings of Mr Finnerty early on Tuesday morning along Riccarton Rd or in that area.
Good CCTV footage from Riccarton Mall and other premises was helping in the inquiry.
CYF head Ray Smith said Mr Finnerty's death was a terrible tragedy and that he felt "very deeply" for his family.
Mr Finnerty had been placed with experienced foster parents and came from a "very caring" family which had done an enormous amount to look after him and to give him the love he was looking for, he said.
However, Shaun was struggling with his own life, and walked away from the home.
"Young people, at 16-years-old, make choices too.
"I think anybody that's been part of Shaun's life or touched him on his journey will be concerned and worried and wonder what else we could have done to protect him."
Mr Smith said CYF's responsibilities were the same as any caring family members.
"What's happened here is not a failure on the part of people who were caring for Shaun. Something tragic has happened because other people have committed an horrific crime."
Mr Finnerty's uncle, Graeme Finnerty, told The Press the family was in shock, "wandering around in a daze".
He described his nephew as "cheeky" and a "law unto himself", with an interest in skateboarding and woodwork.
Shaun Finnerty's childhood was divided between Dunedin and Christchurch. He went to intermediate school in Dunedin before completing several years of high school in Christchurch. He returned to Dunedin last year and enrolled at Otago Boys' High School, but left after two months.
He then enrolled in a trades course but dropped out after a short time, returning to Christchurch to look for work.
He had been staying with his aunt, who was unable to control him, his uncle said.
"Basically, he liked to go out all the time but, being 16, it was decided he was too young to be roaming around the street on his own so he was placed in CYF's care. It was too difficult to keep an eye on him 24 hours a day.
"He could go out and stay out most of the night or even a couple of nights. When you are 16 you've got a mind of your own, you want to enjoy yourself."
Mr Finnerty said his nephew was planning to return to Dunedin this week.
"My brother was going to pick him up - I don't know for what purposes (he was coming home), they have not discussed it."
Mr Finnerty said his nephew had an older brother and older sister, as well as an older stepbrother and two younger stepsisters.
- NZPA
