Suicide case turns into homicide investigation

A coroner has found there was "no objective proof" a Christchurch man was the author of a suicide note which was sent by text. File photo / Thinkstock

Police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of a Christchurch man who was initially thought to have commited suicide.

Philip James Nisbet, aged 47, was found dead in his home on May 4, 2009. Investigators initially ruled there was no evidence of foul play.

However, coroner Sue Johnson, who held an inquest into the death in November, found there was insufficient evidence that Mr Nisbet killed himself.

There was no "evidence of any weight" that he intended to commit suicide and there was "no objective proof" he was the author of two suicide notes, which were sent by text and typed on a computer, she ruled.

Detective Sergeant Scott Anderson told reported there were no plans to reopen the case after the ruling.

But Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Murton this afternoon confirmed a team of detectives was working on the investigation into Mr Nisbet's death.

They had been building on several months of enquiries conducted at the time of the death, he said.

Mr Nisbet's widow, Helen Nisbet, who was the last person to see him alive, shown police a text sent from her husband's phone at 10.30pm which included the words "i can't keep going like this".

She also showed police a computer written suicide note she found on a piece of paper in a briefcase, which had her husband's name typed at the bottom.

Mobile phone records showed she had sent a friend a text message about the suicide note six weeks before telling police.

Mr Nisbet's family said they were shown a note which was signed with handwriting and not typed.

Coroner Johnson said Mrs Nisbet's evidence was inconsistent and she was an "unreliable witness".

She said other than the fact the text message was sent from Mr Nisbet's cellphone, there was "no evidence to indicate he sent it".

The threshold of evidence for suicide had not been met, and "I leave this point open", the coroner said.

Mr Nisbet's adopted sister, Lee-Anne Cartier, said the findings showed police had "messed up" the investigation into his death.

- HERALD ONLINE