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Man in court over attack on Dutch tourists
Saturday, 17 January 2009
A 25-year-old man facing a charge of raping a Dutch tourist at Tuatapere has made a brief appearance in the Invercargill District Court.
The man, who was granted interim name supression, appeared before Justice of the Peace Fraser Clark on the charge which stems from an attack on the 22-year-old woman and her partner, 25, at the Five Mountains Holiday Park in the western Southland town on Thursday morning. .
Lawyer for the man Hugo Young said he sought a remand for his client, and made no application for bail.
Yesterday, the man in charge of the police investigation in to the attack, Detective Sergeant Dave Nelson said the rape charge was likely to be followed by other charges.
Mr Clark remanded the man in custody to reappear in the Invercargill District Court on Friday.
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Heathcote River death not suspicious
Friday, 09 January 2009
RECOVERY: Police recover what is thought to be the body of a young man fom the Heathcote River today.
A 44-year-old Christchurchmanpulled from the Heathcote River was notthe victim of foul play, police say.
The Fire Service provided a cherry picker to help with the recovery and the body was removed from the river at about 2.
The body wasspotted in the riverby a member of the public walkingnear Aynsley Tce in Opawa, southern Christchurch at about 10am today. .20pm.
"We're not examining for anyone else in connection with it.
"We've had the post-mortem and the results are more indicative of being something other than a criminal act," Rae said.''
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Key casts doubt on a quick recovery
and TRACY WATKINS – Tuesday, 25 November 2008
US rescues Citigroup with $37b in capital
Apec leaders pledge to reform lenders
World finances discussed at Apec
Prime Minister John Key doubts the world financial crisis can be solved within 18 months.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, ended yesterday, with the 21 leaders pledging to "take all necessary economic and financial measures" to resolve the crisis.
But immediately after the meeting, Mr Key appeared more pessimistic, describing the goal as "aspirational".
"We are convinced that we can overcome this crisis in a period of 18 months," the leaders said in their final communique after two days of talks. It depends on a number of different factors. "I don't know whether it will be 18 months or not.
Mr Key said it was "one thing to talk; it's another thing to deliver."
The global financial crisis, described by the Apec leaders in their communique as "one of the most serious economic challenges we have faced", dominated the talks.
"There is a real commitment and unity across all 21 economies that we will be not taking a protectionist view, that we will be spending more money and working hard to try to find other answers. . "That is a lot of money to try to get this thing resolved," Mr Key said."
The United States was pledging a stimulus package worth US$2trillion, while China is offering its economy US$600 billion.
A commitment by Apec's leaders to restart stalled World Trade Organisation talks could be a huge fillip to the economy.
He has promised legislation before Christmas fast-tracking tax cuts and did not rule out bringing forward other spending to help to kick-start the economy. They also pledged not to put up any new trade barriers within the next year. Leaders directed their trade ministers to meet in Switzerland next month and asked them to reach an agreement on restarting the stalled Doha round.
But some of the biggest players at the WTO, including European Union countries, are not members of Apec.
Mr Key said a breakthrough would be a "very important step", and Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson said success at Doha "will be the proverbial magic bullet for the economy".
The pact was covered in talks between Mr Key and Mr Bush yesterday, with the first round of negotiations pencilled in for early next year.
Outgoing US President George Bush, meanwhile, pledged to press for a trade pact involving the US, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore Australia and Peru – the so-called trans-Pacific trade pact, which has potential to open up America's lucrative domestic market to New Zealand's agricultural exporters.
Labour leader Phil Goff, the former trade minister, said he was confident, however, that a change in US administration would not diminish US enthusiasm. But there is concern that president-elect Barack Obama may not share Mr Bush's enthusiasm for free trade. "They need to be [there] and the trans-Pacific is the pathway into the Asia-Pacific market.
"They know this is the most dynamic and fastest-growing market in the world," he said.
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Reid verdict may be today
– Friday, 31 October 2008
The Liam Reid murder trial is expected to end today.
The jury of seven men and five woman retired yesterday afternoon to determine the guilt or innocence of Reid, 36.
He faces six charges the rape and murder of Emma Agnew, 20, and the subsequent rape, indecent assault, robbery and attempted murder of a 21-year-old Dunedin student.
Defence counsel David Bunce urged jurors to disregard aspects of Reid's appearance or behaviour they found "strange to you or not to your taste".
The jury was sent to a hotel at 6pm after listening to the defence's closing address and Justice Chisholm's summing-up.
His performance in the witness box was in contrast to that of his former girlfriend, who was "totally untruthful and unreliable" in her evidence, Bunce said.
Reid had been frank and had "let it all hang out".
The woman was "not a girlfriend reluctantly giving evidence" but rather she "lost no opportunity to present Mr Reid in the worst possible way".
Text messages from her to Reid showed she was a willing participant in their rough sex. .
Bunce said the Dunedin victim had said her attacker was taller than her when in fact they were the same height.
The woman's cannabis dealing, which she had denied and the defence had been at pains to establish, was of "no interest" to the defence, "except to show she is a liar", Bunce said.
She had failed to identify Reid's salient features his tattoos, he said.
The woman said Reid received phone calls during the attack, but Reid's phone records showed this not to be true.
Bunce criticised the woman's identification of Reid, where she picked him from a police photo montage.
Bunce criticised the woman's identification of Reid, where she picked him from a police photo montage.
The judge directed the jury to consider the case without prejudice.
Bunce said DNA evidence against Reid was "scraping the bottom of the barrel", using new techniques of uncertain reliability. The judge cautioned the jurors not to play detective and warned them to stay away from the internet. He said the onus was on the Crown to prove the case, to the extent that Reid's testimony should not count against him, even if jurors found it unreliable, as there was no onus on him to prove anything.
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Reid verdict may be today
– Friday, 31 October 2008
The Liam Reid murder trial is expected to end today.
The jury of seven men and five woman retired yesterday afternoon to determine the guilt or innocence of Reid, 36.
He faces six charges the rape and murder of Emma Agnew, 20, and the subsequent rape, indecent assault, robbery and attempted murder of a 21-year-old Dunedin student.
Defence counsel David Bunce urged jurors to disregard aspects of Reid's appearance or behaviour they found "strange to you or not to your taste".
The jury was sent to a hotel at 6pm after listening to the defence's closing address and Justice Chisholm's summing-up.
His performance in the witness box was in contrast to that of his former girlfriend, who was "totally untruthful and unreliable" in her evidence, Bunce said.
Reid had been frank and had "let it all hang out".
The woman was "not a girlfriend reluctantly giving evidence" but rather she "lost no opportunity to present Mr Reid in the worst possible way".
Text messages from her to Reid showed she was a willing participant in their rough sex. .
Bunce said the Dunedin victim had said her attacker was taller than her when in fact they were the same height.
The woman's cannabis dealing, which she had denied and the defence had been at pains to establish, was of "no interest" to the defence, "except to show she is a liar", Bunce said.
She had failed to identify Reid's salient features his tattoos, he said.
The woman said Reid received phone calls during the attack, but Reid's phone records showed this not to be true.
Bunce criticised the woman's identification of Reid, where she picked him from a police photo montage.
Bunce criticised the woman's identification of Reid, where she picked him from a police photo montage.
The judge directed the jury to consider the case without prejudice.
Bunce said DNA evidence against Reid was "scraping the bottom of the barrel", using new techniques of uncertain reliability. The judge cautioned the jurors not to play detective and warned them to stay away from the internet. He said the onus was on the Crown to prove the case, to the extent that Reid's testimony should not count against him, even if jurors found it unreliable, as there was no onus on him to prove anything.