Man charged with manslaughter of Fleets granted bail

Richard Te Kani appears in the Rotorua High Court. Photo/file

A man charged relating to the deaths of Raymond and James Fleet has been granted bail.

Richard Tuwhakakorongo Te Roroa Te Kani, 28, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of manslaughter and two of threatening to kill.

He has also denied two counts of being an accessory after the fact of murder of Raymond and James Fleet by moving and trying to conceal a corpse to help three others avoid arrest.

Justice Graham Lang granted Te Kani bail on several conditions, which can not be published for legal reasons.

A case review hearing for the accused is set down for February 7 next year.

Raymond Fleet, 51, and his nephew James Fleet, 25, were reported missing on August 9.

A double homicide investigation was launched after the discovery of their bodies in Mamaku Forest on August 17.