Mon 2 Aug 2010 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Denis Phillips 10.50am: A teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 59-year-old south Auckland police officer who was known to have frequented gay venues. The 16-year-old was clad in a blue boiler suit during a brief appearance in the Papakura Youth Court. He was remanded in custody, without plea, until Friday. He is charged with murdering temporary sworn police officer Denis Phillips, whose body was found in his Papakura home on Saturday afternoon. Phillips is believed to have been stabbed to death. Police have refused to release details surrounding the killing. They say there is no evidence of a sexual incident, however they are being cagey about revealing any circumstances of the killing due to the accused teenager's age. Judge Sharon McAuslan suppressed all details of the teenager's appearance. Youth Court rules prevent us from reporting the boy's background and details. There was a large media contingent in court. Cordons remain up at both ends of the Papakura street where Phillips lived, which is a seemingly quiet suburban neighbourhood beside a park. A police car sits outside the house and there is a uniformed guard at the scene.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 2nd August 2010 - 10:53am