The father of a toddler found dead in a Gore oxidation pond four years ago, says he has evidence his son did not drown

Paul Jones wants the case reopened as a murder investigation.

He was speaking after the sentencing of the Gore District Council yesterday in relation to the death of three-year-old Lachie Jones at the end of January 2019.

Jones claims there have been two, sub-standard police investigations.

He has a report from an independent pathologist which lends weight to the opinion of another pathologist, commissioned by the police to review the original post-mortem finding, who had expressed similar doubts.