Quarry murder accused due in court

A man accused of murdering a nine-year-old girl and attempting to murder another child by allegedly driving off the top of a quarry in south Auckland was due in court today.

The man, 28, who has name suppression, was charged with murdering Britney Angelique Abbott.

The nine-year-old was dead at the scene and the accused man and a four-year-old girl were taken to hospital.

The younger girl's name was also suppressed last month when the man appeared in the Auckland District Court briefly. He was then remanded in custody.

The man first appeared in a hospital bedside hearing after he and the two girls were thrown out of a 4WD vehicle as it rolled from the top of Mt Wellington about 100m down the hill and into a quarry.

Today's hearing was expected to set a date for a depositions hearing to decide if there was a case to answer and if it would go to trial.

- NZPA