NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

NZ man held over Norfolk slaying

1 Feb, 2006 10:59 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Janelle Patton
Janelle Patton

Janelle Patton

A Nelson man has been arrested by police hunting the killer of an Australian woman on Norfolk Island almost four years ago.

Australian Federal Police want the 28-year-old extradited to Norfolk Island to face prosecution over the murder of Janelle Patton, 29, in March 2002.

The man was arrested at a house in Stoke yesterday and held last night at the Nelson police station.

He is due to appear in the Nelson District Court this morning for an extradition hearing.

Ms Patton's body was found dumped at Cockpit Waterfall Reserve on Easter Sunday, March 31.

She had been stabbed many times and suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis and broken ankle.

Her murder was the first reported on the island for 148 years.

Australian police officer Peter Drennan said a recent DNA breakthrough led to the arrest of the Nelson man.

He said the investigation involved fingerprinting more than 1300 people who were on Norfolk Island at the time of the killing and the forensic testing of "numerous" pieces of evidence.

"The AFP conducted a large number of forensic tests during the course of this investigation. However, a recent DNA breakthrough led to the arrest of the man [yesterday] afternoon."

Mr Drennan said the arrested man was in Norfolk Island on a temporary permit at the time of Ms Patton's killing.

He said the arrest was a relief for officers who had worked tirelessly for nearly four years.

"In any investigation that has taken this long and one which is so tragic - the murder of a young woman - to now get to the point where we are able to charge someone, that is very satisfying for us."

He also praised New Zealand police for their co-operation.

Mr Drennan said the man could either consent to or challenge the extradition process to the island, an Australian territory.

"Once this has been completed and if the extradition is approved, the man will be extradited to Norfolk Island to face prosecution in relation to Janelle's murder."

The Patton family, parents Ron and Carol, and Janelle's brother Mark, said "relief, disbelief, gratitude and exhaustion" were some of the mixed emotions they had been feeling "since hearing the good news". Even now, it all seemed "so unreal".

"For nearly four years our family and friends have been trying to come to terms with the fact that Janelle was so suddenly taken from us. For nearly four years, we have travelled a roller-coaster of emotions; we have tried to remain positive whilst at the same time the unanswerable questions regarding what happened to her on Norfolk Island on Easter Sunday 2002 would never be far from our thoughts."

Last night Norfolk Islanders were unaware an arrest had been made.

Greg Magri, a friend of Ms Patton during her stay on the island, said the island's permanent residents would welcome the news.

"That is just unreal ... It's the best news we've had since it happened," he said.

"It will be a big relief. There's only 2000 people living here and we all know each other so it's a relief not just for myself but the whole Norfolk Island community that it's someone from outside."

Islanders had always believed it was likely Ms Patton was murdered by a transient worker. Mr Magri has described Ms Patton as an "infectious" person who became close to the people she liked.

He did not know the identity of the man who was arrested.

The Australian police investigation shifted to New Zealand last year, when two detectives flew to New Plymouth to interview a chef who worked with Ms Patton on Norfolk Island.

During the extensive investigation, the Australian police asked 90 New Zealand tourists, residents and workers on the island at the time of the murder to provide fingerprints.

Police had found 10 usable prints on the plastic covering Ms Patton's body.

The inquiry team also named 16 "persons of interest" but Mr Drennan said the man arrested yesterday was not one of them.

- Additional reporting, NZPA

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Small town's mayor says campus closure would condemn locals to poverty

Auckland

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

Premium
Politics
|Updated

Coalition cracks? Leaders dismiss claims Govt in disarray over UN letter


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Machete v steak knife trial: Jury acquits heart-stabbing defendant of murder
Crime

Machete v steak knife trial: Jury acquits heart-stabbing defendant of murder

Mighty ponga trees save driver as car plunges towards stream
Bay of Plenty Times

Mighty ponga trees save driver as car plunges towards stream

Albanese and Xi meet in Beijing to boost economic co-operation
World

Albanese and Xi meet in Beijing to boost economic co-operation

People trapped in Waiuku single-vehicle crash, emergency services on scene
New Zealand

People trapped in Waiuku single-vehicle crash, emergency services on scene

'A gross over-reaction': Woman was already on bail when she started smashing a car with a hammer
New Zealand

'A gross over-reaction': Woman was already on bail when she started smashing a car with a hammer

Luxury Queenstown hotel fined $22k over illegal crayfish heli-dining package
New Zealand

Luxury Queenstown hotel fined $22k over illegal crayfish heli-dining package



Latest from New Zealand

Small town's mayor says campus closure would condemn locals to poverty
New Zealand

Small town's mayor says campus closure would condemn locals to poverty

Toi Ohomai Te Pūkenga put forward a proposal to disestablish the jobs of 166 people.

15 Jul 06:00 AM
'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings
Auckland

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

15 Jul 06:00 AM
Premium
Premium
Coalition cracks? Leaders dismiss claims Govt in disarray over UN letter
Politics
|Updated

Coalition cracks? Leaders dismiss claims Govt in disarray over UN letter

15 Jul 05:30 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search