TV3 News

Tuesday, 28 August 2001, 6:23 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

Baby Exhumed – Queenstown Rafting Death – Christopher Simpson Trial – Angry Coasters – Greymouth Protest – Mark Burton Trial – Pommy Trampers Found

BABY EXHUMED: A Wairarapa baby has been exhumed after a long legal battle. Tori was buried in 1995 with her father Zyon after they both died in a car accident. The mother however did not want her daughter buried with her father. The grave site was blessed before the exhumation. The remains from the grave have been taken to two separate crematoriums. The parents of Zyon opposed the exhumation.

QUEENSTOWN RAFTING DEATH: Searchers are trying to locate the body of a tourist who went missing in a rafting accident near Queenstown.

CHRISTOPHER SIMPSON TRIAL: The Auckland trial of Christopher Simpson heard today from the brother of the accused who said his mother had told him that Christopher had explained to her how to commit suicide. Simpson’s sister-in-law Veronica also gave evidence today saying that Christopher Simpson was “really really clever and really really crazy”. She thought all the Simpson children had alcohol problems, but Chris in particular had a bad manner when he was drunk.

ANGRY COASTERS: West Coasters have made good their promise to complain directly to Minister of Conservation Sandra Lee. 450 angry coasters chanted “Sandra Lee is shit” outside Parliament. Meanwhile 150 greenies protested in support of Lee. The two groups of protestors were not particularly impressed with each other. Inside Parliament Jim Anderton was defending his colleague. Lee and Anderton eventually fronted up to the protestors. Lee said she was not gutless. “I made the decision and the decision was no.” Lee later met in person with protestors, who seemed to be happy with the meeting. Later tonight mining executives from McRaes will be meeting with Lee. In the cities environmentalists see the mine decision as a win. For the Opposition the incident may have backfired. This has given the Government a big platform to crow about the $120 million regional development grant it gave to the Coast.

GREYMOUTH PROTEST: 300 people turned up to a rally in Greymouth in support of their Reefton neighbours. All ages of people were at the rally. One police car led the procession. The deputy mayor expressed the crowd’s anti-greenie sentiment.

MARK BURTON TRIAL: Today a police interview with Mark Burton was played to the jury. The interview was given shortly after Mark killed his mother Paddy. The police officer in charge of the forensic scene described the scene in the Burton house after the stabbing. Asked if it was frenzied attack he replied that it was a sustained, persistent and determined attack.

POM TRAMPERS FOUND: Two young British backpackers were found safe today in the Coromandel after being lost since Sunday evening. The pair of 23-year-olds from Southhampton burned their Lonely Planet guidebook to keep warm. Smoke led searchers to the lost tourists. After they were found they rang their parents.

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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