Man remanded in custody for alleged murder after body found in car

A 46-year-old man will keep his name secret for now after being charged with the murder of a man whose body was found in a parked car.

Richard Leman was found dead in a car at an abandoned house in Rangiora, North Canterbury, on April 17.

Police arrested and charged a man with murder on Saturday morning.

The man appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Monday, where a judge granted a request for interim name suppression and remanded him in custody to appear in the High Court on June 23, the man’s counsel, Ethan Huda, confirmed.

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In a Facebook post after the arrest, Leman’s sister, Nicky Leman, wrote: “The Leman family have prayed for this day to come, for an arrest to be made, and for justice to prevail.

“Richard was and always will be a son, a brother and a father who loved his family with all that he had and in return his family loved him unconditionally.”

She thanked police for their “absolute commitment” and “unwavering determination” in finding her brother’s alleged murderer.

Police still wanted to hear from anyone with information about Leman’s murder, urging them to call 105 and quote file 230415/8026.

Police said they could not comment further now the matter was before the courts.