A Wairarapa supermarket worker was fatally bashed by a group in a "vigilante attack'' in retaliation for an alleged rape, a court has been told.

Serial killer Joanna Dennehy joined the ranks of Rose West and the Moors Murderer Myra Hindley yesterday when she became only the third woman to be given a "whole life" jail term.

Two men found guilty of murdering Lee McMurdo during a robbery at his west Auckland home have today been handed hefty jail terms.

Police dive teams will be searching the waters around Miramar peninsula over the coming weeks as they continue to search for clues around the killer of Rongmei Fan, who was known as Mei.

A specialist scheme to identify high-risk violent spouses needs a consistent national approach, says a report into fatal domestic abuse.

A month after telling police he took part in the brutal murder of Christchurch prostitute Mellory Manning, Mongrel Mob prospect Mauha Fawcett backtracked on his story.

Police are having to deal with increasing numbers of people who are so drunk they are a danger to themselves and others, statistics reveal.

A 27-year-old Navy sailor has been allowed to remain on duty after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of trainee teacher Tarun Asthana.

The children of a Dunedin man killed by one punch are pleased his death is helping to prevent similar acts of violence.

A 27-year-old naval rating has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of trainee teacher Tarun Asthana.

A man left fighting for his life with severe head injuries after an assault at a party following the NRL Nines league tournament is awake and has spoken to police.

Murder victim Mellory Manning's DNA was found on a knife recovered just metres from where her body was dumped in a Christchurch river, a court heard today.

A man who was viciously assaulted at a Mt Eden party at the weekend remains in a serious but stable condition at Auckland City Hospital.

Family is at the bedside of a critically-injured 23-year-old who was seriously assaulted at a party near Eden Park last night.

His father had just savagely beaten her young son to death, yet Rosie Batty could find only compassion for the violent and disturbed ex-husband who was then killed by police

The father of a woman accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend says the prospect of enduring a retrial is disheartening.

Lucille Scollay was found guilty of manslaughter by stabbing her husband through the heart, both her family and her victim's gasped with relief.

The mother of tortured Rotorua three-year-old Nia Glassie will be released from prison after being granted parole.

A man who hired sex worker Mellory Manning on the night she was killed was unable to reach her by text later that night, the High Court at Christchurch has been told.

Christchurch sex worker Mellory Manning had consumed a variety of drugs in the days and hours before she was brutally murdered, a jury has been told today.

A man left fighting for his life after an assault in a central Auckland bar was felled with a single punch he didn't see coming, say staff who witnessed the unprovoked attack.

A witness who sold drugs to slain Christchurch sex worker Mellory Manning has described hearing a "blood-curdling" scream coming from the direction of a Mongrel Mob gang pad the night Mellory Manning was killed.

Herald exclusive: A man accused of a violent assault has breached bail five times - and been released back into the community each time.

Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning was raped, bashed, and stabbed at a Mongrel Mob gang pad before her mutilated body was dumped in a river, a court has heard today.

A 16-year-old schoolboy has today admitted assaulting Auckland teen Stephen Dudley on the day a manslaughter trial over the teen's death was to begin.

The trial of a man charged with the murder of Christchurch prostitute Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning starts today.