A woman accused of deliberately leaving her baby boy to drown has told a court she ran the bath deep because she wanted to keep him warm.

The police hunt for the killer of Carmen Thomas today moved to rural southeast Auckland, after a newly reported sighting of her car around the time she went missing.

Police investigating the death of Carmen Thomas will tomorrow concentrate on a rural area 30km southeast of central Auckland.

A woman accused of leaving her baby boy to drown in the bath suffered from bipolar disorder and was having a severe depressive episode at the time of his death, the woman's lawyer said today.

Her mother burned to death in a fire. Her aunt died after falling from a building and she was sexually abused a year after her father died in a plane crash.

A senior Queensland constable brutally bashed three tourists while on duty.

Calls to change procedures after a notorious killer was able to write a letter to a juror have been called into doubt by the Law Society.

A woman accused of drowning her 13-month-old in the bath had a breakdown after finding out her daughter was sexually abused in CYF care.

Police investigating the murder of Carmen Thomas say a missing recycling bin from her home could be a vital clue in the search for her body.

A row has arisen over the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

One of NZ's most notorious killers allegedly contacted a woman on the jury that found him guilty this month of kidnapping.

Family and friends desperate for news of missing woman Carmen Thomas are grappling with evidence of murder.

Police are hunting for a killer after admitting for the first time last night they believe missing escort Carmen Thomas is dead.