New Zealand teenager charged with bludgeoning man to death in Vanuatu
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Version 0 of 1. A New Zealand teenager has been charged with murdering a man on the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, allegedly bludgeoning him with a piece of wood, stabbing him with a knife and running him over with a car. In retribution for the alleged attack, friends and relatives of the victim are alleged to have burned down a tourist resort owned by 18-year-old Ned Lowe’s family, comprising 12 thatched-roofed bungalows looking out onto the sea. The alleged killing of Roger Kamisak, whose body was found in Lowe’s burned-out car in July, appeared to have been a drunken attack over a girl, the New Zealand Herald said after speaking to police on Tanna, one of dozens of islands that form Vanuatu. Related: Vanuatu reconstruction moves ahead in the aftermath of cyclone Pam Vanuatu police Chief Inspector George Twomey told the Herald that Kamisak and Lowe were drinking together on a beach with a young woman, believed to be Lowe’s girlfriend, before a fight broke out. “The background of the whole thing was they were fighting over a girl. The girl was present at the time. “The wounds were believed to have come from the wood and there was also knife wounds.” The victim was also run over with a car, he said. “It was very, very vicious. It happened when they were drunk.” The teen has been charged with intentional homicide and has twice appeared in court but has not made a plea. He is being detained on a larger island, the Herald said, while blood samples are processed in Australia. Police on Tanna island said Kamisak’s family and friends set fire to the Tanna Lodge, which was bought as a derelict property in 2004 by Stellah and Hugh Lowe, according to the resort’s Facebook page. “Today, Tanna Lodge stands as an enduring testament to their passion for the people, culture and Island of Tanna,” text on the Facebook page reads. “Stellah and Hugh invite you to come and enjoy their island paradise.” When the bungalows were set on fire, 21 Australians were evacuated and the police and army were called in. The Guardian was unable to immediately reach the Lowe family for comment via phone numbers on the resort website and Facebook page. Radio New Zealand quoted Hugh Lowe last month as saying he had fled the resort for the capital Port Vila following the second arson attack. “This was out of the blue and at night and could easily have resulted in serious deaths. Our resort again was full. I wasn’t evacuated out, I chose actually to leave, because there was no point in trying to protect property when I am quite certain that lives are at stake,” Lowe was quoted as saying. |