Teen charged over murder of elderly Kaitaia woman

An autopsy showed that 70-year-old Barbara Julian died as the result of a brutal attack. Photo / Supplied

An unemployed teenager has been charged with the murder of Kaitaia woman Barbara Julian, 70, who was found dead in her house on November 4 after what Far North police said had been a brutal home invasion.

Jameel Job, 17, of no fixed abode in Kaitaia, was remanded in custody to December 2 when he appeared in the Kaitaia District Court this afternoon charged with Mrs Julian's murder.

Job initially appeared two weeks ago charged with being unlawfully in a garden on a property near to where Mrs Julian lived in Matthews Avenue. That charge was today upgraded by Kaitaia police to one of murder.

Job's Kaikohe-based lawyer, Doug Blaikie, told JP Eric Shackleton in court his client had been formally charged with murder this morning.

A preliminary psychiatric report showed the defendant was "competent" to instruct counsel, he said.

However, the report did not address the issue of Job's sanity at the time of Mrs Julian's death and because of that, he sought a further two-week remand in custody under the Criminal Procedure Act to address that issue.

Mr Blaikie initially sought a remand to Kaikohe Court on December 3, when he is scheduled to be involved in another trial.

After some discussion, Job was remanded to appear again in Kaitaia on December 2 pending a further report on the issue of his sanity when Mrs Julian died.

No application was made for bail or for continued interim suppression of name.

Mrs Julian, a widow and former Far North schoolteacher, was found by friends who entered her home on the afternoon of November 4 after she failed to answer her door.

She had been preparing to host a regular social gathering of friends at her Matthews Avenue house.

Job was allegedly found in the garden of a nearby house and quickly became a prime suspect in connection with Mrs Julian's death. Police said soon afterwards they were not looking for anyone else in relation to her killing.

They described the incident at the time as a brutal home invasion but have not detailed how Mrs Julian died or whether she had been sexually assaulted.

Hundreds turned out for her funeral at Broadwood, southwest of Kaitaia, on November 10.

- NZPA