Ihaiah Gillman-Harris Two teenagers accused of the murder of Auckland man Ihaiah Gillman-Harris are now also facing theft charges. Leonard Nattrass-Berquist and Beauen Wallace-Loretz, both 17, appeared in Auckland District Court this morning. NZME reports they have been remanded in custody until next month, when they will appear at the High Court in Auckland. It says they are also accused of robbing Mr Gillman-Harris of cash, a cell phone and bank card as well as unlawfully taking his $15,000 Range Rover. Mr Gillman-Harris died in hospital from a head injury he suffered in a motel room in Epsom on 27 December. He’d checked in early that morning with two teenagers he said were his nephews, but who do no appear to be relatives. Early in their investigation police released CCTV footage showing two young men leaving the motel shortly after the trio had checked in. The teenagers are alleged to have left the motel in Mr Gillman-Harris' Range Rover, which was later found about 10 kilometres away. As police inquiries continued, they released the names and images of two teenagers they were seeking, and Nattrass-Berquist and Wallace-Loretz were charged with murder after turning up at Auckland Central Police Station on 31 December. The case has prompted some concern from within the gay community, and sources have claimed to GayNZ.com Daily News that Mr Gillman-Harris was a customer of at least one of Auckland’s gay bars. Police have been tight-lipped on the circumstances of the two accused being in Gillman-Harris's company and will no longer comment as the case is now before the courts. Mr Gillman-Harris was farewelled at Piki Te Aroha Marae in Okaihau, in Northland, on Friday.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 5th January 2015 - 10:34am