Māngere manslaughter case: Auckland man denies killing the mother of his children

A man accused of the manslaughter of the mother of his children in Māngere Bridge has pleaded not guilty and is headed to trial.

The 28-year-old woman suffered critical injuries on October 16 in McKenzie Rd near the Māngere Lawn Cemetery. She succumbed to her injuries in hospital two days later. A man living nearby told the Herald the woman fell from a car.

A man was arrested at the scene and charged with assault on a person in a family relationship. The charge was upgraded to manslaughter in the Manukau District Court after she died.

He had his first hearing in the Auckland High Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer Andrew Speed entered a not guilty plea to the manslaughter charge.

Crown prosecutor Gareth Kayes told Justice Matthew Downs the accused and the deceased had four young children.

The Crown sought interim suppression of their names and the name of the deceased, whose family had expressed concern about the impact on them of publication of their names, Kayes said.

This was granted by the Judge, along with interim suppression of the defendant’s name ahead of a suppression hearing on March 6.

Justice Downs set a trial date of March 3, 2025, for a three-week fixture.

Emergency services were called to McKenzie Rd shortly after 8.30pm on Monday, October 16.

A man living in a row of townhouses near where the woman was found – on a section of the road close to the Māngere Lawn Cemetery entrance – said she was found unconscious and badly hurt.

Another man living nearby said he heard screaming on the night as witnesses and emergency services converged on the scene.