Mobile device given to police in Ashburton case

Russell John Tully.

A mobile device believed to belong to the man accused of the Ashburton Work and Income office double homicide has reportedly been handed into police.

The tablet was found floating down a Blenheim river three months ago, Radio New Zealand reported.

Russell John Tully has been charged with shooting dead Peg Noble and Leigh Cleveland last Monday. Their colleague Lindy Curtis was seriously injured in the incident.

A Blenheim woman, who did not want to be named, told RNZ she found the device tied to a soft drink bottle on June 2 as she was walking by a river.

The tablet was slightly water damaged but was still able to be used.

The woman said she saw an email to a John Tully from his mother, asking where he was.

There was no information about any problems he had with Work and Income, RNZ said.

The mother asked the woman to send it to her, but then it broke completely, so that did not happen.

Following last week's incident, the woman realised the tablet might have belonged to the alleged shooter, so handed it over to police on Monday.

Police declined to make any comment to RNZ about the device.

Meanwhile, a dive squad had been drafted in from Wellington to join the search for items related to the triple shooting.

Police officers had been searching the area around the Ashburton River along the suspected route that Tully took after the fatal incident.

The divers would search the riverbed for any items which might be related to the investigation, including an additional firearm and ammunition, which police believed may have been in the shooter's possession.

People had been asked to stay away from the search area while the search continued.

Tully, 48, was charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder and had been remanded in custody to appear in the High Court at Christchurch on September 23.