Man charged with murder of Akaroa woman

Press, 31 January 1983, Page 1

Man charged with murder of Akaroa woman

A man, aged 22, was arrested yesterday and charged with the murder of an Akaroa woman, Miss Audrey Sedgley, aged 67.

The man, believed to be of Akaroa, will appear in the District Court this morning. In an unrelated homicide case, several persons will appear in the District Court this morning charged with the murder of Leyland Edward Bell, a voluntary psychiatric patient whose body was found buried in the garden of a house in Lincoln Road eight days ago. The Akaroa arrest and the announcement of the murder charges in the Bell case capped a week in which Christchurch detectives had three homicide inquiries on their hands, stretching the resources of the Criminal Investigation Branch to the limit. The third case was that of a Samoan man, Mr Mimita (Mike) Leatoa, whose body was found in an Oxford Terrace car-park last Tuesday evening. His death is no longer regarded as sus-

picious. A small team of detectives remained in Akaroa last evening to complete their investigation into the death of Miss Sedgley, whose body was found in a bedroom of her home in Rue Balguerie last Thursday. Her hands had been tied and she was gagged with masking tape. A post-mortem examination established that Miss Sedgley had died from three blows to the head with a heavy instrument. Her golden Labrador dog was found dead in another room. His muzzle and front paws had been tied with masking tape. An autopsy revealed that he had died from asphyxiation. Detective Chief Inspector Bruce Read, who headed the investigation, said, “I would like to make special mention of the co-operation and help the police inquiry team has

had from the local people throughout the investigation.”

Lincoln Road. Addington, on Sunday, January 23. Detectives investigating his death still seek another man, Bryce Kelvin Kenneth King, aged 23. Detective Senior-Sergeant A. B. Dalzell said yesterday. "The publicity being given to this case is not designed to force him (King) into a corner, but we believe he was present at the house and probably has information which could help with inquiries."

The police would not add anything to their statement, simply announcing the arrest.

The murder investigation was run from a base set up in the old Akaroa Courthouse. After a week of intensive inquiries, detectives said yesterday that several persons would be charged today with the murder of Mr Leyland Bell, aged 53, a long-term voluntary patient at Sunnyside Hospital. Another man, George Raharaha, aged 30, a sickness beneficiary, will appear in court this morning charged with assaulting Mr Bell, with intent to injure him, between November 1 and November 30 last year. Mr Bell's body was found in a shallow grave near the back door of a house at 191

Mr King is 181 cm (sft Ilin) tall, of heavy build, with blond-brown hair, a chubby face, and blue eyes. He is heavily tattooed on the lower arms.

Anyone who might be sheltering him, “out of misguided loyalty,” could be leaving themselves open to criminal charges, said Detective Senior-Sergeant Dalzell.