Murder tip a hoax

A man claiming to be an accessory to the unsolved killing of Hawke's Bay farmer Jack Nicholas has been revealed as a hoaxer.

The man had offered information about the death of Mr Nicholas, 71, who was shot outside his isolated farm homestead in Puketitiri last August.

In return he wanted a $50,000 reward offered by the Sensible Sentencing Trust and immunity from prosecution.

Today trust spokesman Garth McVicar said police had confirmed the man -- who had phoned him and sent the trust letters in April and yesterday -- was a hoaxer.

"I have a lot of trouble explaining how gutted I feel," Mr McVicar said.

Detective Sergeant Dan Foley, who is working on the investigation, said the man would have been enjoying the publicity he had received.

The police had first received a letter from the man about September, last year.

At the same time he had written separate letters saying he could help with two other major inquiries, Mr Foley told National Radio.

"With the initial letters we sort of put them to the side, bear them in mind but put them to the side as possible crank letters.

"It wasn't until he started writing to sensible sentencing and actually rang them that we started to realise and putting things together that it was the same guy that had written earlier and had also written to (Mr Nicholas' wife) Agnes."

Mr Foley said it was annoying for police and they would like to speak to the man, who may have some issues of his own.

"It's annoying for us in that it wastes our time and diverts us from what we're actually out there to do, but also there's a cruel and nasty side of it where he offers false hope to the family who are still reeling from this tragedy."

The letters written by the hoaxer had gone through the Auckland mail centre and it was believed he may live somewhere north of Auckland.

Police had tried to use phone records to find the man but had been unsuccessful.

The call to Mr McVicar had been from a public phone but he did not want to say where that was.

Mr McVicar said when the man phoned him he had been hoping it was "the bit of the jigsaw puzzle we needed".

"This is just a diversion, and an absolute waste of police time. It causes havoc within the family and Jack's wider circle of friends," he said.

"I have a lot of trouble explaining how gutted I feel."

He had asked police whether they now wanted the trust to "butt out" and not offer a reward, but had been told police were grateful for the trust's efforts.

So the $50,000 reward remained, Mr McVicar said.

"It's all systems go for us to get a conviction in the case."

He said he had trouble understanding the mentality of anyone who would carry out such a hoax.

"They've obviously got to be feeling pleased with themselves... that they pulled off a stunt. I suppose that's what they set out to do," he said.

"I'm being very, very careful obviously now... but there are certainly leads still being followed as a result of the reward being offered."

- NZPA