Manslaughter accused eyes insanity plea

By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua
A man charged with manslaughter after a car crash that killed an 8-year-old boy in Tokoroa is expected to plead insanity.

Pehi Grant Rangi, 24, appeared in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday for a callover where his lawyer, David Bates, said it would not be appropriate to formally enter a plea to the charges.

However, Mr Bates indicated his client would plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Liam Cooper died in the crash in May and his father, Mark, and family friend, Rowan Pringle, are both recovering from extensive burns and other injuries.

The Coopers and Mr Pringle had been on the way to a soccer match in Matamata when the crash happened.

Rangi was remanded in the custody of the Henry Bennett Centre, the mental health unit at Waikato Hospital, until another callover in the High Court in Rotorua on February 16.

A Putaruru mother is to stand trial in the High Court in Rotorua next year charged with being an accessory in her baby's death.

Jaymie Ellen Haddock, 18, appeared in the High Court yesterday for a callover. She is charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder.

Crown prosecutor Fraser Wood said it was his intention to also bring a charge under the District Court jurisdiction of cruelty to a child, together with the High Court matter. He explained that both charges related to the same incident.

Three-and-a-half-month-old Sarah Haddock-Woodcock died in Putaruru earlier this year.

Justice Rhys Harrison remanded Haddock on bail to reappear in the High Court on March 6, when her trial has been set down as a back-up. The trial is expected to take three days.

Haddock was represented by David Bates.

A charge of murder has been reduced to manslaughter in relation to the death of Natasha Bridget Hayden at McLaren Falls Park this year.

The case was called in the High Court in Rotorua yesterday but the accused was not required to be in court. The man, who has name suppression, is being held in custody.

Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne amended the charge from murder to manslaughter. The trial was set down for February 27 next year and is expected to take five days.

A man facing six charges relating to sexual offences against a young girl has denied the offences.

The man, who has name suppression, is charged with sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. He is also charged with committing an indecent act with a girl under the age of 12, three counts of attempting to induce a girl under the age of 12 to do an indecent act and displaying objectionable material.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges at a callover in the High Court yesterday.

He will stand trial on May 15 next year. The man was represented by Tony Balme. Rob Ronayne appeared for the Crown.