Red Fox Tavern murder trial: Detective says a former top suspect was not near the tavern in crucial hours before homicide
16 Mar, 2021 05:04 AM
5 minutes to read
Police recreation of Red Fox Tavern in 1987. Video / Supplied
A detective who investigated the infamous Red Fox Tavern cold case has told a jury a man who once was a top suspect did not have the window of opportunity to commit the crime.
Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hayward has been cross-examined in a High Court trial about the plans and whereabouts of Lester Hamilton - a man who had bragged about being a suspect in the case.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Father of two Chris Bush, 43, was gunned down at the pub in Maramarua in October 1987, and the offenders took off with tens of thousands of dollars in cash, coins and cheques.
Mark Hoggart and another man - who has name suppression - are on trial in the High Court at Auckland, charged with murder and aggravated robbery.
They deny the charges and say police arrested the wrong men.
Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hayward was one of the officers involved in the re-investigation of the homicide, dubbed Operation Lion, which began in 2016.
In his evidence, Hayward said there were 230 people considered persons of interest in the original investigation, which wound down in mid-1988 without anyone being charged. Another investigation which began in 1999 also failed to result in arrests.
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