Name suppression ends for woman accused of damaging graves at cemetery with car

Damaged graves at the Rotorua Crematorium and Cemetery.

A woman accused of driving through a Rotorua cemetery, damaging headstones and memorial items, can now be identified after her name suppression lapsed.

Brenda Urwin appeared in the Rotorua District Court this morning and pleaded not guilty to five charges through her lawyer, Bill Nabney.

She was initially granted name suppression but Judge Greg Hollister-Jones confirmed today name suppression has now lapsed.

Urwin is charged with four counts of doing intentional damage with reckless disregard and one charge of operating a motor vehicle with sustained loss of traction.

She was remanded on continued bail until September 20 at 2.15pm for a case review hearing.

Her bail conditions, set down at a previous court appearance, were to continue. They included living with relatives outside of Rotorua and not driving a car or associating with alleged victims - the families with damaged graves.

The Rotorua Crematorium and Cemetery on Sala St was allegedly damaged on February 13.