Man accused of perverting course of justice in homicide probe

By Sam Sherwood of RNZ

A man is accused of perverting the course of justice in relation to a homicide investigation, RNZ has reported.

The man is the seventh person to be charged in relation to the investigation, dubbed Operation Hawkin.

Court documents seen by RNZ reveal a 32-year-old man faces three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice between December 2025 and January 2026.

The man has been granted suppression of name and occupation.

One of the charge sheets alleges the man provided advice to a person to avoid arrest by fleeing the country.

Another charge sheet accused the man of sending a message to a person connected to ongoing legal proceedings warning of possible upcoming police enforcement and to “hide or destroy evidence”.

He was also accused of sending a message to a person connected to ongoing legal proceedings instructing them to change their username on an encrypted messaging app in order to hide evidence.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

In response to questions from RNZ, Detective Inspector Scott Beard confirmed an additional person had been charged as part of the investigation into the death of a man in Mt Wellington in December last year.

“Today, a 32-year-old man has been charged with three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

“This is now the seventh person charged under the homicide investigation.”

This story was first published on rnz.co.nz