Retrial for prostitute's murder begins

Susan Sutherland's body was found on a vacant inner-city section in Christchurch.

The second trial of a man accused of murdering a Christchurch prostitute has begun.

Jule Patrick Burns, 31, pleaded not guilty today to strangling Susan Gayle Sutherland to death after having sex with her early on the morning of April 16 last year.

Burns is alleged to have picked up the 36-year-old prostitute known as Suzie in Christchurch's red light district and taken her to a vacant inner-city section where her naked body was found by a passer-by later that morning.

Justice John Hansen told a jury of seven men and five women in the High Court at Christchurch today that the case was a retrial.

Burns' first trial was abandoned in December after eight days of evidence. Justice Lester Chisholm declared a mistrial, but gave no reasons in open court.

Opening the Crown's case today, Kerry White told the jury Ms Sutherland was a prostitute who worked the streets and was addicted to drugs, particularly ritalin and morphine.

The Crown would allege that Burns, a South African immigrant, picked Ms Sutherland up for sex but "something went wrong" after he had sex with her at the vacant section and at some stage there had been an argument between the pair.

Ms Sutherland had scratched Burns' neck trapping his DNA under her fingernails. Burns' and Ms Sutherland's DNA was found on a condom left near her body, yet Burns had denied having sex with her when he had been interviewed by police.

Ms White said the Crown would produce evidence that Burns admitted having sex with Ms Sutherland to a friend who had visited him while he was in police custody.

Burns, Ms White said, had told police he had been socialising with friends during a pub crawl on the night Ms Sutherland was murdered. The Crown would allege he later trawled Manchester St -- an area frequented by prostitutes -- looking for sex.

Ms Sutherland was seen by a prostitute friend of hers getting into a white Honda Prelude car about 5am on the day she died and being driven off down Peterborough St in the direction of the vacant section. That was last last time her friend saw her alive.

Ms White said some of Ms Sutherland's clothing had been found in a rubbish bin at a suburban park and the Crown alleged Burns dumped the clothes when he realised Ms Sutherland had left them in his car. Some of Ms Sutherland's hair had been found in the car.

Burns' defence counsel Rupert Glover told the jury the case was a "real whodunnit" with a "slightly different twist".

He conceded a lot of the evidence they would hear pointed to Burns.

However, unlike an Agatha Christie thriller, when the trial reached its conclusion, Suzie Sutherland's killer would not be revealed, Mr Glover said. "You're just going to know who didn't murder her."

The trial is scheduled to last between two and three weeks, with evidence from 86 witnesses.

- NZPA