Jury selection begins in Mellory Manning murder trial
Jury selection began after 10.30am in the case of Mauha Huatahi Fawcett, who denies the December 2008 murder of Christchurch sex worker Ngatai Lynette Manning.
Fawcett, 26, pleaded not guilty at the start of the six-week trial before Justice David Gendall in the High Court at Christchurch where he will conduct his own defence.
Defence lawyer Craig Ruane has been appointed an amicus curiae to advise Fawcett and assist the court during the trial.
Manning, also known as Mellory Manning, was aged 27 when she was murdered. She had been doing sex work along Manchester Street when she was last seen, and her body was found in the Avon River next morning, showing evidence of a brutal bashing.
Fawcett was arrested in Auckland in March 2012.
Phil Shamy, Pip Currie, and Arpana Raj appear for the Crown in the trial, at which evidence will be called from about 150 witnesses.
The list of witnesses was read to the jury panel before selection – in closed court and with the names of all non-police witnesses suppressed at present – so that they would be able to say whether they knew someone connected to the trial.
Category: News
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