Statement to be attributed to Detective Inspector Darryl Sweeney:

A 55-year-old man from Aranui pleaded guilty in the High Court in Christchurch today to the murder of Nicole Tuxford on 7 April this year.

Nicole’s family have previously said they were ‘broken’ by her loss.

She was a beloved daughter, sister and partner, and her family have described how she lit up the room with her personality.

She had ambitions to work as a counsellor so she could help others.

Police again extends its sympathies to the Tuxford family, who are still coming to terms with their tragic loss. The family continues to request privacy, and we ask media to respect that.

Police can confirm that the night before Nicole’s death the man was stopped by police at an alcohol checkpoint on Bealey Avenue in Christchurch and gave a positive reading.

After he was processed the man caught a taxi and went directly to Nicole’s property.

He waited for her overnight before killing her when she arrived home the next morning.

While we are unable to discuss further details of this at this time, we can say that we are satisfied the man was dealt with correctly by the staff running the alcohol checkpoint.

Those experienced staff did not and could not know of his intentions when he left the checkpoint.

His behaviour at the time gave no cause for concern, and there is no test which can predict human behaviour in these circumstances.

I know however that the staff involved at the checkpoint have been deeply affected by Nicole’s death.

Police are continuing to support the Tuxford family at this very difficult time and our thoughts remain with them as they grieve for Nicole.

ENDS

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