Suitcase murder case: Accused fights to keep name suppression in court

The woman's first appearance at the Manukau District Court in November 2022, when she was charged with murder. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Korean mother accused of murdering her two children whose bodies were later found in abandoned suitcases is fighting in court against the publication of her name.

Her case was heard at the Court of Appeal in Auckland this morning before a panel of three High Court Justices, Forrie Miller, Mark Woolford and Helen Cull.

The woman’s lawyer, Chris Wilkinson-Smith, argued publication could result in extreme hardship or endanger the woman’s safety, and could also affect her ability to engage in court proceedings or medical assessments.

Crown prosecutor Gareth Kayes and lawyer for NZME Tania Goatley disagreed, both submitting that there was no evidence that publication sufficiently heightened the defendant’s risk profile.

The appeal comes after a High Court judge declined the woman’s application for continued name suppression in March.

Most of the hearing cannot be reported because of existing suppression orders.

The court reserved its decision this morning.

Last Wednesday, the defendant spoke up at the end of a brief court hearing to proclaim her innocence. “I didn’t do it, it’s the truth,” she said, raising her hand to address the court moments before she was led away by security officers.

The 42-year-old has been in custody since she was extradited from South Korea to New Zealand late last year after the discovery of her children’s remains.

An Auckland family made the grisly find after opening suitcases they bought in an auction for an abandoned South Auckland storage unit.

Police said the children would have been between 5 and 10 when they died and had been dead for years when their remains were found.

The defendant was born in Korea, became a New Zealand citizen after moving here, and likely returned to Korea in 2018, according to Immigration records.

She has pleaded not guilty and is set to face trial in April 2024.