Coroner David Crerar has agreed with police that Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's response to a police search was totally disproportionate to the seriousness of the incident.

The discovery of a skull in a NSW forest has revived interest in Ivan Milat and the 'backpacker murders'.

Police are believed to have tracked the movements in Waikato of two men who knew Carmen Thomas - at the time that her car was abandoned in Hamilton.

A man was bashed in the head with a hammer during a "vicious attack" and robbery at a Wellington dairy last night.

Lewd allegations about the private life of the spy found murdered in London have been dismissed by police.

The man who murdered undercover police officer Sgt Don Wilkinson has been jailed for at least 15 years. Iain Clegg was jailed for a minimum of four years for manslaughter.

The sister of murdered mum Carmen Thomas has broken her silence as new information emerges about the police inquiry.

A wide cross-section of the Feilding community turned out for a candlelit service tonight in response to recent tragic deaths, and to celebrate the town's strength of spirit.

Police hunting for the killer of Carmen Thomas returned to a stretch of rural road in southeast Auckland yesterday to search for clues.

Jennifer Hudson's brother-in-law William Balfour has been granted a continuance in his trial for murder and home invasion charges, following the killing of the singer's mother, brother and nephew.

Convicted double murderer John Barlow said 15 years in prison was "like going into retirement" and hasn't changed him a bit, as he walked free from Rimutaka Prison this morning.

Police investigating the disappearance of Carmen Thomas say they are closer to catching her killer and Facebook yesterday produced a new clue.