Family and friends of a mother of six who was beaten when she intervened in an attempted bag-snatch say they are not surprised she didn't hesitate to help someone else.

A Sri Lankan man accused of murdering a woman in Switzerland in 2000 has been released on bail.

A 17-year-old man has been arrested and charged over the attack on good samaritan Lucy Knight yesterday afternoon.

A Kaitaia hostel owner has had fresh charges laid against him since his appearance in court.

"Another kick in the teeth for the family", is how the father of teenager William Lewis has described a parole hearing for his son's killer.

New charges, including a second attempted murder count, have today been laid against alleged Ashburton Work and Income double killer Russell John Tully.

A New Zealand woman and her British boyfriend who were shot dead on a beach in Libya in January were in the "wrong place at the wrong time", a British coroner says.

An Auckland grandmother who beat a 77-year-old man unconscious before setting him on fire will spend at least the next 15 years in prison.

A teenager who participated in a brutal, premeditated, armed hold-up has had a potentially lengthy prison term slashed because of his assistance to police.

A 13-year-old charged with the murder of a West Auckland shopkeeper faces a wait to find out whether he will get bail.

Police are continuing to call for more information relating to a string of suspected indecent assaults allegedly carried out by Northland lodge owner Michael Harris.

A young man suffered multiple facial fractures when he was assaulted after a 21st birthday party at a Christchurch cricket club early this morning.

Gold Coast murder accused Gable Tostee is alleged to have assaulted police officers in the months before Kiwi woman Warriena Wright plunged from his balcony.

Judge Thokozile Masipa was contemptuous of Pistorius' snot and tears during his performance on the stand, writes Kerre McIvor.

Eyes widen around Kaitaia when you ask about Michael Harris. Before Monday, he was known, but "not someone that noticeable". Since then, he has become infamous.

Potential victims are still coming forward in the wake of the arrest of a Kaitaia lodge owner who has been charged with sexual assault.

Police have been inundated with phone calls from potential victims and people with information about a Northland lodge owner accused of sexually assaulting young men.

Oscar Pistorius has been described as “broken” by an investigative journalist with exclusive access to the athlete, who will hear the verdict of his murder trial later tonight.

The mayor of a town where a woman and her three young children have been found shot dead says the local community is in severe shock.

Accused balcony killer Gable Tostee called his lawyer seconds after New Zealand woman Warriena Wright plunged to her death from his highrise Gold Coast apartment, court documents allege.

Hundreds of people are expected to gather for a public memorial service this week dedicated to the victims and survivors of last Monday's Work and Income shootings.

An investigation is underway after a bomb threat hoax at the Foxton Work and Income office last night.

An Australian man charged with the murder of a NZ woman has had his bail application adjourned, with a judge describing the charges against him as "weak".

More than 600 people gathered in the Ashburton Event Centre today to celebrate the life of Peg Noble, one of two women shot to death in Ashburton's Work and Income building.