Newtown Fire – Murder Charges Filed
Inspector Dion Bennett, Acting Wellington District Commander:
Wellington Police have today filed five
murder charges in relation to the
fatal fire at Loafers
Lodge, Newtown on May 16.
The 48-year-old man already
remanded in custody on two counts of arson is now
also
facing the additional charges.
The victims’ families
have been advised. Our thoughts are with them and we
are
continuing to ensure they are supported through this
process.
Having finished our extensive scene
examination, Police will today hand the
scene at Loafers
over to Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).
Once FENZ have
completed their work, the site will then be handed
to
Wellington City Council and the building
owner.
I want to thank our partner agencies in this
investigation, including FENZ
and Council, for their
co-operation and assistance during this
incredibly
difficult and detailed
investigation.
Also our sincere thanks go to local
residents and businesses who have been
impacted since the
fire occurred.
I also want to acknowledge Police’s
investigation team, who have been
working tirelessly and
methodically to bring about today’s result.
We are thankful to Te Ati Awa for their guidance and support.
A dawn karakia will take place tomorrow for
the staff involved in this
operation.
Once the
building is returned to the owner, we understand they plan
to
facilitate any return of personal property from the
building in cases where
rooms and/or items have not been
destroyed or contaminated by fire.
There is no current
timeline for this, and would require the owner to
do
their own due diligence in terms of
safety.
Finally, Police would like to acknowledge the
residents of Wellington who
have been affected by this
tragedy, and we hope that today’s upgraded
charges will
be
welcomed.