A man charged with murdering a father-of-three whose dismembered body - missing several parts - was found in the boot of his car has pleaded not guilty.
Richard Leman’s body was found inside his own car, parked in a garage in Tyler St, Rangiora, on April 17. Police then began a homicide inquiry.
On June 3, police raided a property in Oxford Rd, Rangiora, and arrested a 46-year-old man who has since been charged with murdering Leman on April 11.
The accused, who has interim name suppression, made his first appearance in the High Court at Christchurch on Friday via audio-visual link before Justice Rachel Dunningham.
Through his lawyer, Ethan Huda, the man pleaded not guilty to murdering Leman.
Members of Leman’s family were in court for the hearing.
A suppression hearing has been set down for August 14.
The man was remanded in custody until August 25.
A trial date has been set for October next year for four weeks.
Last Thursday a 38-year-old woman was charged with accessory to murder after the fact.
The woman appeared in the Nelson District Court on Thursday afternoon before Judge Garry Barkle.
Her lawyer, Emma Riddell, sought bail, which was opposed by police. The woman cried throughout the hearing.
She also sought name suppression due to fears for her safety, which was granted by Judge Barkle.
The New Zealand Herald earlier revealed that Leman’s body was dismembered and that when police found him, his torso was in the boot of his car and several parts of his body were missing. It is believed he was shot.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tania Jellyman earlier said police were able to confirm, with the blessing of Leman’s family, that some of his remains have not been recovered.
“We are releasing these details in the hope that we can provide some closure for Richard’s family,” she said.
“We are not in a position to provide any further information in relation to this, however, this is understandably very distressing for Richard’s family.
“We would like to be able to recover the missing remains so his family can move forward from this tragedy.”
While one person had been charged with murder, police believed others were involved in his death.
“We believe the others involved would have discussed what occurred with their friends and associates.
“Police are appealing to those people and members of the public for their assistance in holding these people to account for their actions.
“We have every confidence that someone in the Rangiora community knows what has happened here. We are urging you to do the right thing and come forward to speak to us.”
Leman’s sister, Nicky Leman, told the Herald after the man’s arrest that the last seven weeks since her brother first went missing until the arrest had been “total fear”.
“I haven’t been sleeping, I’ve been getting up throughout the night checking my windows and doors and making sure all my children are in bed safe, it’s like I have not been sleeping. We’re all like that, we’re all a mess, all of us.
“We had no idea what was going on because the police don’t tell you anything because they’ve got an investigation to do and then you don’t want to know because you don’t want to jeopardise anything, so it’s been a catch-22 situation, we want to know but then we don’t because we don’t want to compromise anything. If we talk to the wrong person we don’t want anything compromised because we want justice for Richard.”
Nicky Leman, who does not live in Christchurch, said it had been hard being in the same city knowing those responsible were “walking around … breathing the same air as all of us”.
“It’s such a hard thing ... that is why today was a relief, first thing this morning it was a relief to get told they’d made an arrest.”
Leman was a beloved brother, son, and father to three boys - “his babies”, Nicky Leman said.
“He was a funny guy, he made us laugh when we were down, he put a smile on our face. That was just Richard.”
She said the family had “no clue” why someone would want to harm Leman.
“Richard was friends with everybody, that was how he was. If you were down, you could’ve been a complete stranger and if you were on the side of the road and if you were upset or crying or whatever, he would stop and say ‘Are you all right?’ and give you a hug and say ‘is there anything I can do to help you?’ That’s the kind of guy he was.
“Everyone was Richard’s friend, it was like he had an infectious personality where you just wanted to be around him.”
Nicky Leman said her parents were “not coping at all”. The couple also lost their oldest child to leukaemia, she said.
“I can’t come to terms with it, this is my little brother … every time I think about it I start to cry.”
She said the police had done an “amazing job” throughout their investigation.
“I think the police are amazing. They’ve been brilliant with my parents, because my parents are elderly and they’re very unwell, and just the way they’ve handled everything, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
The family appealed to anyone who still had information they had not disclosed to speak up.
“If anybody knows anything, come forward to the police and give them the information so we can get justice for Richard and if there’s anybody else involved that the police get everybody involved, that’s it,” she said.
“The police are on the right track and they’re doing their job and they’re absolute in the course that they’re taking and that gives us comfort.”
Anyone with information can call 105 and quote file 230415/8026. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
