Paige Johnson, inset, died after being hit by a motorcycle on Edmund Rd on June 15. Photo / Ben Fraser
Paige Johnson, inset, died after being hit by a motorcycle on Edmund Rd on June 15. Photo / Ben Fraser
A Rotorua man is accused of disposing of a motorbike ridden by a 31-year-old charged with killing deaf and blind pedestrian Paige Johnson.
Riki Lum, 31, from Hamilton, was arrested in Hamilton on Wednesday and charged with Johnson’s manslaughter. A second man has been charged with getting rid of thebike Lum was riding, after Johnson’s death.
Lum is accused of riding a motorcycle when he struck Johnson as the 24-year-old tried to cross an Edmund Rd pedestrian crossing on June 15. Johnson suffered critical injuries and was flown to Waikato Hospital, but died on June 18.
A CCTV image released by police of the motorcyclist they believe to be involved in the death of Paige Johnson. Photo / Supplied
Police alleged the rider did a U-turn and drove off from the scene.
A 10-day search for the rider included the release of CCTV footage of the man believed to be riding the motorcycle.
The second man charged was granted interim name suppression when he appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.
He is charged with being an accessory after the fact of manslaughter, and unrelated charges of possession of a shotgun, cultivating cannabis and receiving various Makita tools valued at $5000.
Paige Johnson, 24, was the victim of a hit and run on Edmund Rd in Rotorua.
A charging document supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post by the court said it was alleged that between June 15 and June 25 at Rotorua the man actively suppressed evidence against Lum by disposing of the motorbike in order to enable him to avoid arrest.
The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of life.
The man was remanded in custody and will reappear in the Rotorua District Court on July 14.
Lum appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody without plea to appear in the Rotorua court on July 11.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
