Tears as cabbie murder accused remanded

SLAIN: Abdulrahman Ikhtiari.

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The 16-year-old charged with murdering taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari wiped tears from his eyes as he appeared in court today.

The youth, who has name suppression, and a 19-year-old co-accused appeared in court in Christchurch today and were remanded without plea until December 23.

The 19-year-old, a painter, has been given name suppression until 5pm tomorrow to give him time to consult a lawyer.

The pair were arrested last night and had family in court to support them.

One woman yelled out 'I love you' as the 16-year-old was remanded, and he wiped tears from his eyes.

Meanwhile, police have found the knife believed to have been used in the murder.

SEARCH WARRANTS

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Johnson said yesterday the pair were arrested following information from the public.

Searches were carried out in Christchurch yesterday and police say they "obtained a number of items of interest to the investigation".

Johnson had spoken to Ikhtiari's family and they were very "grateful and relieved".

"We hope this assists and provides some comfort for the family and their community and allows them to move on."

Police said yesterday they had security-camera footage of Ikhtiari's United Taxis cab stopping on Worcester Street about 1am on Saturday.

The footage was recorded from a distance and there were "lighting issues", but minutes later two men could be seen running from the murder scene, Johnson said.

An autopsy indicated a thin blade at least 14cm long, and about 2cm thick, was used to kill the father of five.

Johnson said the motivation for the attack was not known.

A trust fund had been established by lawyer Andrew Oh to help support the family. Oh is also a board of trustees member at Aorangi School, where several of the Ikhtiari children are pupils.

Oh said Ikhtiari's family were still very distressed yesterday, and his widow had become so distraught she had spent time in hospital.

Details of the fund are available at www.duncancotterill.com. Taxi companies have also set up a fund for the family. Anyone with information for the police should call 03 363 7400.

- © Fairfax NZ News