Police reopen 26-year-old murder case

A murder case has been reopened 26 years after a man was beaten to death in the Auckland suburb of Sandringham.

Dutchman Simon Paulus Buis, 54, was found dead, lying on his back near Eden Park on Good Friday, 1980.

His killer or killers were never found but police said they had been given new information and had reactivated the file in the hope someone would still remember details which would lead them to the killer.

Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Beard from the Auckland CIB would not reveal the new information but said it was enough to re-activate the case after 26 years.

"Time is a healer and there may be people who were associated with people at the time involved but have since that time have moved on and may be able to help."

He said police were keen to hear from anyone who may have seen something in Gribblehurst Park about 2.50am on Good Friday or at the Symonds Street/Newton Road area about 2.30am.

"You could have people associating with the possible offenders who at the time said nothing to the police.

"Over this length of time they have moved on and may have decided they can come forward now."

He said Mr Buis was "severely beaten" to death.

The Mt Eden resident had probably been dead only a short time before his body was found by a motorist driving through the park.

He was married with two adult children.

Mr Beard said police had traced most of his movements on the night before his death. At 8.30pm he was at the Leopard Tavern in Freeman's Bay.

At 10.30pm he was in the La Cava Coffee Lounge in Customs Street, where he stayed until about 2.30am when he caught a taxi to Symonds Street, near the intersection of Khyber Pass and Newton Rd.

About 20 minutes later at 2.50am residents near Gribblehurst Park told police they heard a man screaming, the sound of punches being delivered and a car being driven off at speed towards Sandringham Rd.

Mr Buis' body was found soon after. He had not been robbed.

Mr Beard said one of the mysteries was how he got from Symonds St to Gribblehurst Park -- which was not in the direction of his home.

"It's unlikely he walked there in 20 minutes and it's unlikely he got into a car with strangers."

Mr Buis, a Caucasian with dark hair, a bushy beard and glasses, was wearing a brown corduroy jacket, a grey jersey, a green shirt, brown trousers and brown suede shoes.

"We had reports of a large, 1950s style vehicle with a loud exhaust and a yellow car -- possibly a 1950s Holden -- leaving the park around the time Mr Buis was killed.

"It may be that someone remembers someone who owned a vehicle like that in Auckland at that time. If so, we'd like to hear about it."

Mr Buis' wife has since died, but he is survived by his children.

- NZPA