6 Jan 2015

Woman charged over Napier death

1:36 pm on 6 January 2015

A 52-year-old woman has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a 69-year-old woman in her Napier home.

Police said Aileen MacDonald was assaulted in her home on Kennedy Road in the suburb of Onekawa, on Sunday night and died in Hawkes Bay Hospital three days later.

The Wairoa woman appeared in the Napier District Court today following a post mortem on the victim.

She was initially charged with assault and appeared in the Hastings District Court yesterday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Pritchard said evidence from Ms MacDonald's post mortem examination led to the additional charge.

"Subsequent to that we have now charged her with her death," he said.

"The charge is appropriate to the evidence that we have and the results from that post mortem."

The accused will re-appear on 21 January.