Son charged with murder of Queenstown woman

The man charged with murdering Queenstown teacher Patricia Anne Burton on Saturday is her son.

Mark Edmund Burton, aged 20, unemployed, of Invercargill, appeared before Judge David Saunders in the Invercargill District Court about 1 pm yesterday.

Defence lawyer Bill Dawkins said he would not oppose an application by the police for a psychiatric report.

He said that while it was rare for defence lawyers not to ask for name suppression at a first appearance, it was unrealistic in the circumstances to keep Burton's name from publication.

News reports had already mentioned that a 20-year-old relative had been arrested for the murder, and at least one other male in the wider Burton family was the same age. Name suppression would unfairly put others under suspicion.

Burton, who arrived at court with his right hand heavily bandaged and a towel over his head, accepted that name suppression was unrealistic, Mr Dawkins said.

Sergeant Alan Christie, prosecuting, asked Judge Saunders to order a psychiatric report and remand Burton to a secure mental hospital.

Details in the reports supporting the request, from Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Hewett and mental health professionals, should be suppressed, he said.

Judge Saunders said it was appropriate to get a psychiatric report on whether Burton was fit to plead and whether he was suffering from any disability at the time of the offence. The report would probably take 28 days to complete.

The case would be called again on April 12.

Judge Saunders remanded Burton to Ward 9B of Wakari Hospital in Dunedin.

Matters contained in the reports prepared for the court were suppressed.

No mention of the relationship between Burton and Mrs Burton was mentioned in court, but death notices published yesterday listed Mark Burton as one of the victim's children.

The murdered woman's husband is Queenstown police sergeant Trevor Burton.

- NZPA