A South African man, an escapee from Rangipo Prison in the central North Island, is wanted by UK police as the primary suspect in the killing of a gay man there. Michael Polding (l) and Ricardo Pisano A $10,000 reward has been offered by UK police for information leading to the arrest of Brandon Victor Pillay, 35, who has been calling himself Ricardo Pisano and sometimes uses the nickname Ree. The decomposing body of Michael Polding, 63, was found in his Brighton, UK, flat six months ago and police now want to speak with Pillay/Pisano who it has been revealed was living with the victim and was calling himself Polding's carer, even though the older man was not medically in need of care. Pillay/Pisano had served eight months of a fifteen month sentence for extortion in 2001 when he escaped from Rangipo Prison. He somehow found his way to the UK. His sexuality has not been addressed publicly by the UK investigation team. Sussex police have released information on the victim and alleged killer on a website (see link below). It is possible they will extend their formal enquiries to New Zealand and South Africa.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013 - 7:16pm