South Africa's murder rate has increased for the third year running, with opposition groups saying the figures mirror "a country at war".

When his wife left him, Mandeep Singh bought knives and waited patiently in the foyer of her school until she finished her exam.

Logan Pillay was caught off-guard when a passenger punched him, causing him to flinch and drive into the back of the car in front of him.

Police have called for help in the search for a group of youths who "king-hit" on a man outside Denny's in Manukau, leaving him with serious head injuries.

The man accused of murdering Christchurch toddler Ihaka Stokes will keep his name suppressed, for now.

Beating of Australian tourist by British man with criminal convictions highlights a ''leak'' in New Zealand's border protection system, lawyer says.

Police want the public's help after a man was seriously injured when two younger men attacked him in a small Southland town.

Michael Murray hit Morris on the head with a sickle-like tool. Morris died seconds later in his partner Millie Elder-Holmes' arms.

A 51-year-old man was found by members of the public after being assaulted in Nelson just after 2pm.

A New Zealander living in Vanuatu has appeared in court today facing charges for murdering a local man in what police describe as a vicious, drunken fight over a girl.

Father says finding killer will always hinge on someone coming forward with information as Ewen McDonald's lawyer says family "wasting money".

Lawyer Peter Coles says he's not surprised Kylee Guy has run out of money investigating her husband's death because he says she's focusing on the wrong man.

The mother of slain teenager Luke Tipene faces the prospect of reliving her son's death all over again at a second trial.

The jury on the Luke Tipene murder trial has reached a stalemate and been discharged by the judge.

An Auckland teen charged with murder, who allegedly escaped bail and evaded authorities for four days, will remain behind bars until trial.

The judge in the Luke Tipene murder trial has told the jury the teenage defendant can be found guilty even if the act was unplanned and "instantly regretted".

A Taupo man who killed his partner in an "unprovoked and cowardly" hammer attack has told the woman's daughters he was enjoying prison.

A teenager deliberately stabbed a rugby league starlet in the neck and must have known death was likely, the Crown says.

A 13-year-old boy convicted of manslaughter was supposed to be taken into CYF care a month before he killed an Auckland dairy owner last June.

The man accused of murdering a Christchurch toddler last month has been granted bail.

The friend of a teenager accused of stabbing an up-and-coming rugby league player has described seeing his mate's look of shock moments after the fatal incident.

An eleventh hour decision by a man who bashed his elderly mother to sack his lawyer was branded "disgusting" by his mother in court today.

Detectives probing the 2008 slaying of Mellory Manning have admitted being in a "legal limbo" while a gangster found guilty of being involved appeals his conviction.

Name suppression has lapsed for a man accused of bludgeoning an elderly man to death with a bottle.

We demand action. But equally we should be dispassionate and rational in demanding measures that seek to prevent these things occurring, writes Jarrod Gilbert.

A man accused of stabbing his partner to death after she had finished an exam sobbed in the dock this morning as he changed his plea to guilty.

One of two people arrested in relation to the discovery of an elderly man's body in a public toilet last night has appeared in court charged with murder.

A man armed with a hatchet attacked patrons in a movie theatre in the Nashville, Tennessee, area before he was shot and killed by police officers.

A homicide investigation is underway in Manawatu following the discovery of a body outside a block of units this morning.

Two people who came to the aid of a woman who was assaulted in Dunedin on Saturday are being asked to contact police.