Killer Venod Skantha's death in custody forces change
13 May, 2021 05:55 PM
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The former doctor convicted of murdering a Dunedin teenager died in prison. Video / NZ Herald
Otago Daily Times
By: Daisy Hudson
The sudden death of a Dunedin murderer behind bars has sparked a "life-saver" change to national court processes.
Venod Skantha, who was convicted of murdering Dunedin teenager Amber-Rose Rush in 2018, is believed to have taken his own life at Otago Corrections Facility in mid-April, just hours after learning of a Court of Appeal decision upholding his conviction.
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His death revealed the courts did not inform prisons when a judgment was released.