Detective's quiet moment of pride

Detective Inspector Rod Drew's own 6-year-old stepdaughter was very much on his mind as he investigated the murder of Coral Burrows in the Wairarapa.

Coral was the same age when she was bludgeoned to death and dumped in a bleak spot on the shore of Lake Onoke (Ferry) near the mouth of the Ruamahanga River.

The conviction yesterday of Steven Williams for the murder marked the end of a long, painful inquiry for Rod Drew.

"It didn't weigh on my mind but it was a constant reminder," Mr Drew said of his hunt for one little girl while knowing another was waiting for him at home.

When people talked of Coral - of how she ran, laughed and played, of her being afraid of the dark, of loving cuddles - the inquiry head said, "It came home to me when I looked at the wee one at home."

Despite the personal resonance of the case, Mr Drew was determined not to let it affect him.

"I try not to [feel deeply about it]. I try to have a professional distance, otherwise it ... would pretty quickly wear you down."

Today's conviction leaves the quietly spoken policeman with a feeling of satisfaction.

"I think it's been a tremendous team effort and I've been very proud of the team involved."

Moving on for Mr Drew - who has been in the police for 30 years, 25 as a detective - means another case, perhaps a murder.

He has worked on some high-profile cases, including that of a 3-year-old boy snatched from his bedroom and then beaten, raped and abandoned in a Hastings orchard by Lance Richard Harbour in 1993.

Crimes against children have featured.

"The last one I ran was the investigation into the death of Hinewaoriki Karaitiana Matiaha - Lillybing she was known as."

Lillybing died on July 23, 2000, aged 23 months, after being shaken violently by her aunt, Rachealle Namana.

The public want a resolution more desperately in child killing or abuse cases.

"There's probably lots of reasons for that but one of them is we are talking about the deaths of innocents ... ."

Pressures on such cases are massive, but Mr Drew said he was used to it.

"I'm familiar with the stress of major investigations because I've been involved in a lot of them now. I know what to expect."

Mr Drew has three boys from a previous marriage, and his partner, also with the police, has a boy and two girls.

Apart from dealing with his own stress, he worries about his staff.

"I understand pretty well the stresses of all those different positions. I'm concerned about them and I'm also very aware that most of the staff have children so I'm very aware of what's going on with them.

"Part of the good thing is coming back into a family atmosphere and feeling the balance of family."

He said there was "an incredible amount of support during the investigation. And ... when there was an arrest, we had a tremendous volume of emails and letters and cards just supporting the investigation, and in most cases the professionalism in which it was conducted".

- NZPA