Three News
March 9 2008; 11:26

Website told to pull material on killing

Charlene Nyasha Makaza

A website set up to support a man charged with murdering and sexually violating his niece has been asked to delete material that could prejudice the court case.

Crown Law confirmed on Friday it had written to the Gwaze family asking parts of the site be removed after police sources told the Sunday Star-Times of concerns about its impact on a fair trial.

54-year-old George Evans Gwaze was charged after the death of Charlene Nyasha Makaza, who was his niece and adopted daughter. Charlene lived with Gwaze and his wife and family at their home in Hollyford Avenue, Bryndwr, Christchurch.

She was found in bed with breathing difficulties and rushed to the After Hours Medical Centre and then on to hospital where she died early on January 6.

Depositions were heard before a district court judge last month, when doctors told of finding what they said were severe genital injuries on Charlene.

A pathologist said she died of "multiple organ system failure consequent on global hypoxic injury (deprivation of oxygen to the brain)".

Hospital tests showed she was HIV-positive but that did not explain her "catastrophic collapse", he said.

The website, written by Gwaze's eldest daughter, Maggie, details the family's actions on the day they discovered Charlene seriously ill and the subsequent police investigation.

Maggie Gwaze said on the website she admired her father, who was bailed to Auckland on strict conditions ahead of the trial.

Last month concern was raised about detailed blogs discussing the alleged murder of Dunedin woman Sophie Elliott, 22, by her ex-boyfriend, Clayton Weatherston, 32.

Steven Price, a barrister specialising in media law, said trials could be prejudiced by information posted on websites if jurors viewed the site and its content was wrong.