Man's body eaten by dog, inquest told

Police investigating the discovery of a decomposing body at a bush campsite were shocked to find most of the body had been devoured by a dog, a coroner's inquest in Greymouth has heard.

Coroner Richard McElrea said on Friday he would have dealt with the case in chambers but Douglas Arllington, a brother of the dead man, had concerns that warranted a public airing.

The remains of Charles Harold Arllington, 53, of Westport, were found on August 22 last year. A reclusive man, he had been living in a tent in dense bush near Westport.

When a farmhand, Joshua McDonald, got sick of Arllington's dog scavenging he went to the campsite to remonstrate with him – and instead discovered a collapsed tent and the remains of a body.

Detective John Cunneen said little but the torso and head remained of the man, and marks on the body were consistent with a dog having gnawed on it, the Greymouth Star reported. Arllington's dog Mojo had previously been chained up at the campsite.

Constable Denis Bergman, ascertained the identity of the dead man from medical appointment slips and a photograph.

However, in court, Douglas Arllington decried the investigation as "inadequate". At the campsite in early September 2008, he picked up a femur bone – which later proved to have come from his brother.

McElrea found that Arllington died between July 22 and August 8 of unascertained causes.

- © Fairfax NZ News