Three people have appeared in court to deny manslaughter after the remains of a woman were found in a bag floating off Gulf Harbour in north Auckland earlier this year.
The man, 37, and two women, 36 and 61, also pleaded not guilty to kidnapping Shulai Wang when they appeared in the North Shore District Court this afternoon before Judge Anna Fitzgibbon.
The 37-year-old man is accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Wang’s son to make a false statement.
His lawyer, David Jones KC, entered not guilty pleas to all charges and elected trial by jury. Jones sought and was granted interim name suppression for the man. Judge Fitzgibbon also ordered name suppression for the younger woman.
Jones sought bail for his client but was denied. His arguments for bail are automatically suppressed.
The judge also declined an application by news media including the Herald for the summary of facts in the case, a document which sets out details of the allegations against the trio.
Jones, opposing its release, said it contained some “outrageous” statements against his client and he strongly denied the allegations. Other aspects of the case were also suppressed.
Michael Kan, acting for the younger woman, also entered not-guilty pleas on her behalf to all charges and elected trial by jury.
The older woman was assisted by a Mandarin interpreter. Her lawyer, Eric Chen, sought and was granted interim name suppression. He opposed the media’s application for the summary of facts.
She pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury.
Judge Fitzgibbon also declined bail applications made by Kan and Chen for the two women.
The trio were remanded in custody until their next appearance in the High Court at Auckland on November 27.
Police announced a breakthrough in the case on Thursday, eight months after the man and two women are alleged to have kidnapped Wang and caused her death.
The victim remained officially unidentified for months and it was not until October 25 that police announced they had identified the remains found by a fisherman wrapped in plastic bags and floating in Gulf Harbour on March 12.
Wang had no family in New Zealand and had not been reported missing, police said.
She was a recent immigrant to New Zealand, having arrived in August last year.
Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams said police had undertaken extensive inquiries as part of their investigation, including travelling to China.
“Mrs Wang’s family back in China have been advised of her death and we are working with them and international authorities to repatriate Mrs Wang and return her to her family.
“We appreciate there are still many questions the community has in relation to this investigation and we can assure you our team is working around the clock to find those answers.”
Court documents state police allege the trio caused Wang’s death by kidnapping her between March 6 and 7, several days before her remains washed up.
In April, the Herald revealed police had completed and issued an Interpol “black notice”, a special appeal seeking information on unidentified bodies, to their international partners.
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