Tauranga man William Church charged with murdering father Michael Steven Church

Police cordoned off houses in Harding Dr, Pāpāmoa East after a stabbing incident on September 22, 2018. Photo / Andrew Warner

A Tauranga man has been charged with murdering his father.

The Crown alleges William Church, aged 22 at the time, stabbed his father Michael Steven Church with a butcher’s knife at a Pāpāmoa East home on September 22, 2018.

Church, now aged 27, appeared in the High Court at Tauranga on Wednesday.

Church’s lawyer David Bates told Justice Neil Campbell he was still waiting for the previous legal counsel’s file so he could “get up to speed” with this prosecution case and asked for more time before his client entered a plea.

Bates also urged Justice Campbell to grant Church bail.

Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett said the Crown did not oppose the defence lawyer’s requests.

Justice Campbell bailed Church with strict terms.

The defendant’s next court date is in March next year.

Regarding the possibility the matter would require a jury trial, potential dates in October next year or March 2025 were discussed.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.