Kiwii helicopter pilot Ian Pullen was killed in October 2018. He was believed to have been killed in a hit and run but police now allege he was fatally bashed after being struck by a vehicle.
Kiwii helicopter pilot Ian Pullen was killed in October 2018. He was believed to have been killed in a hit and run but police now allege he was fatally bashed after being struck by a vehicle.
Police will allege a man and woman accused of killing a firefighter hit him with a car before returning to the scene and carrying out a gruesome act.
Police in New South Wales have charged a second person over the 2018 death of a New Zealand firefighter and made disturbing allegations about how the man spent his final moments alive.
Ian Pullen, 43, was found dead on the side of Carrington St, Glenridding – in the Hunter Region – just after 5.30am on September 29, 2018.
The young father, who worked as a firefighter pilot, had been brought in to help fight bushfires in the area.
He was initially believed to have been killed in a hit and run but police will now allege those accused of the crash returned to the scene later and bashed Pullen over the head with an object.
Ian Pullen, a firefighter pilot from New Zealand, was found dead by the side of the road in NSW's Hunter Region in 2018. Image / Supplied
The allegations were revealed by police after a 30-year-old woman was charged with murder over Pullen's death.
Officers arrested the woman at a home on Dominion Ave in Singleton about 9am on Monday.
Joshua Knight, 29, has also been charged with murder, dangerous driving occasioning death and failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death.
Joshua Knight has been charged with murder, dangerous driving occasioning death and failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death. Picture / Facebook
He was arrested at Newcastle Police Station on Wednesday October 15.
Police will allege in court Knight was driving a white Toyota Hi-lux when Pullen was hit between 4am and 5.30am on Saturday September 29, before leaving the scene.
They will also allege the ute returned to the scene a short time later, with the man and woman then getting out of the car and bashing Pullen over the head with an object.
A 30-year-old woman was arrested on Monday over Pullen's death, and charged with murder. Photo / NSW Police
An anonymous tip-off received earlier in the investigation had suggested those responsible returned to the scene and approached Pullen while he was still alive.
Pullen's mother, Gill, told reporters in September 2019 the 12 months since her son's death had been "hell".
Pullen's mother, Gill, told reporters in 2019 she was unable to move on from the death because there had been no explanation as to what had happened to her son. Image / Supplied
"We can't get closure. We can't go on with a life," she said.
"All I've got now is our memories from my son growing up.
"I carry his ashes around my neck. This has been on there since the day he was cremated. It's never been taken off."
Knight remains before the courts and the woman was refused bail to appear at Muswellbrook Local Court on Tuesday.
Investigations under Strike Force Awabakil are ongoing.
