Video may hold clue to pensioner murders

Margaret Waldin (left) and Ted Ferguson.

Surveillance video from Feilding's Manchester Tavern may hold the key to the brutal murders of two elderly residents found dead in a pensioner flat a few hundred metres away.

Police have the tapes recorded last Friday night in the bar where pensioners Ted Ferguson and Margaret Waldin were last seen before they were killed.

It shows Mrs Waldin walking out of the bar before finishing her wine.

Publican Wayne Flynn said it was an unusually busy night at the Manchester, and several people were drinking in the bar who did not normally frequent it.

"I've watched it," Mr Flynn said. "I reckon I know what's gone on."

He said there was no fight or argument on the video but the newcomers to the bar were the people police seemed interested in.

The bodies of Mr Ferguson, 73, and Mrs Waldin, 76, his partner, were found in Mr Ferguson's council-owned flat on Sunday morning.

Police were called to the one-bedroom unit after other residents in the block, known as the Rangimarie Flats, became concerned that they had not seen Mr Ferguson for a day.

Mr Flynn said Mr Ferguson left the bar about 10.30pm on Friday. Mrs Waldin followed about half an hour later.

She left a half-full glass of wine for her niece Rosemary Blake, publican Bev Chandlier said.

Mr Flynn said friends Mrs Waldin was drinking with had offered to walk her home, but she refused and departed alone.

The group she was drinking with left a while after her, including Ms Blake and the man she lives with, Kenny Heap.

Mr Heap saw Mrs Waldin walk into Mr Ferguson's flat alone as they headed home.

Mr Flynn said the videos showed people coming and going from the bar all night, including after Mrs Waldin left.

Reports that Mrs Waldin had won big on the pokies were wrong, Mr Flynn said. "If she had won we would have seen the money."

Ms Chandlier said the couple were a happy pair and it was not unusual for Mr Ferguson to leave first, so he could warm up the flat or organise some supper.

Police have said the couple met a very violent death but have not specified how. It is understood the bodies were found in the lounge.

Mr Ferguson, affectionately known as "Father Ted", was described as a big teddy bear around the town. Yesterday, son Ian and daughter Maree described him as a man with a big heart who had a second "family" in Feilding's bar environment.

"Dad would do anything for anybody and for somebody to hurt Dad like this is not acceptable," Ms Ferguson said.

Her father loved going to the Feilding Hotel, the Kiwi Tavern or the Manchester, she said.

"His friends at the Kiwi were his second family."

His son said he would try to pop into the Kiwi to have a drink with his father because he knew he could find him there.

"He had a big heart. He wouldn't let anybody down if they needed help. It's pretty tough talking about this because he was just an all-round kind, caring sort of a guy.

"He showed great love for people and somebody's turned around and done something like this to him. It's just unbelievable," said Mr Ferguson.

He said he it was a sign of the times. "It's got worse and worse when you can't walk from your flat to the pub and have a few beers and go home."

Mr Ferguson said whoever killed his father should give up because they were going to get caught anyway.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Sheridan, said both bodies had been removed from the flat, Mrs Waldin's on Monday and Mr Ferguson's yesterday, but police were still waiting on post- mortem results.

Thirty-five detectives are working on the case, including officers from as far away as Hamilton, Taumarunui, Wanganui and New Plymouth.

Police yesterday took to the streets of Feilding to speak to residents around Mr Ferguson's Bowen St flat, in bars and around Mrs Waldin's unit in Cargill St about 2km from Mr Ferguson's.

"Whoever is responsible for this will undoubtedly be affected as well," Mr Sheridan said.

"They will either have spoken to others about it or they will be behaving in a manner which will draw suspicion to themselves."

Mr Sheridan wants people to keep coming forward with information.

* CAN YOU HELP?

Anyone with information can call police on 0800-OP-RAIN or 0800 677-246.