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25 Jan 2026 13:10
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  •   Home > News > National

    The star witness at a Dunedin murder trial has back-tracked on evidence he gave yesterday

    The star witness at a Dunedin murder trial has back-tracked on evidence he gave yesterday


    Venod Skantha is on trial in the High Court - charged with murdering 16-year-old Amber-Rose Rush.

    But defence lawyer Jonathan Eaton QC suggests the Crown's young witness is actually the one who killed her.

    Yesterday, the teen told the court he was roped into driving Skantha to Amber-Rose's home the night she died - and explicitly remembered cleaning the bloody knife afterwards.

    Now he says he can't remember whether he or Skantha cleaned it.

    © 2026 Newstalk ZB, NZCity

     Other National News
     25 Jan: 'Highly unlikely' those trapped by Mount Maunganui landslide have survived, NZ police say
     25 Jan: The Tauranga mayor says the hardest part of the last few days has been witnessing the grieving families of those lost in Thursday's landslide
     25 Jan: State Highway 6 between Lake Hawea and Makaroa in the South Island is closed following a slip overnight
     25 Jan: A 1-nil win over Japan has seen the Black Sticks women book a final against the United States at their three-nations hockey tournament in Dunedin
     24 Jan: An 18 year-old has been arrested and charged in relation to a spate of burglaries last night in Cambridge
     24 Jan: Two women believed to have been killed in the Mount Maunganui campground landslide were friends
     24 Jan: Pakuranga College is paying tribute to two of its students caught in the Mount Maunganui landslide
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     Today's News

    Athletics:
    Sam Tanner's win over teen star Sam Ruthe in the New Zealand Mile Championships at the Cooks Classic has come with a cherry on top 12:27

    Law and Order:
    'Highly unlikely' those trapped by Mount Maunganui landslide have survived, NZ police say 11:57

    Cricket:
    Time in the spotlight for the wrong reasons hasn't stopped cricketer Harry Brook speaking his mind 11:57

    International:
    How moving overseas changed my shopping habits 11:07

    Living & Travel:
    The Tauranga mayor says the hardest part of the last few days has been witnessing the grieving families of those lost in Thursday's landslide 10:47

    Environment:
    A heavy rain watch is in place for Dunedin, Clutha and mainland Southland lasting until 3pm today 10:47

    Cricket:
    Scotland has replaced Bangladesh at next month's T20 Cricket World Cup because of the latter's refusal to play in India 10:27

    Politics:
    Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's killer motivated by 'disgust' at links to Unification Church 10:17

    Environment:
    State Highway 6 between Lake Hawea and Makaroa in the South Island is closed following a slip overnight 10:07

    Soccer:
    Late drama in Bournemouth to end the Liverpool football side's 13 match unbeaten streak 9:27


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