16 Feb 2018
R v BRACKENRIDGE [2018] NZHC 164
- Citation
- [2018] NZHC 164
- Court
- High Court
The application to dismiss the murder charge was refused because, taken at its highest for the Crown, the combination of the pathologist's findings (no anatomical cause, absence of soot and low carboxyhemoglobin but inability to exclude strangulation/smothering/flash burns), the timeline and movements (CCTV, banking/ATM withdrawals, petrol purchase), neighbour's observation of the defendant entering the unit then immediate fire and fleeing, accelerant on the defendant's clothing, and the defendant's writings and statements provided an evidential foundation from which a properly directed jury…