Man on murder charge sought psychiatric help

The man charged with killing a Christchurch prostitute and dumping her body in the Avon river allegedly sought help from a mental health centre just days before the murder.

One News reported last night that the 28-year-old went to Hillmorton Hospital and asked for help after abducting another woman. Between 12 and 24 hours after he left the hospital, a 24-year-old prostitute was raped, run over several times then dumped in the Avon on December 15.

The man is now understood to be facing charges of abduction and sexual violation in relation to the earlier incident on December 11. No one from Hillmorton or Christchurch police was available to comment last night.

The man is understood to have spent some hours at Hillmorton between the two incidents. He is in custody undergoing a psychiatric assessment before his next court appearance next Thursday.