Gunman's widow loses estate bid

Relevant offers

Crime

Top cop defends police action Partner-bashing man jailed Man arrested on cocaine smuggling charges Urewera Four trial: Boys to be star witnesses 'Urewera four' armed revolutionary leaders - Crown House row sparked mansion killings, court hears Jail for Thailand child sex tours Murder accused wanted to flee Nelson Radical trial system shake-up proposed Man threatened to kill over internet use

The widow of Napier gunman Jan Molenaar has lost her bid to control his estate.

Delwyn Keefe, who last week started a two-year three-month prison sentence for drug dealing, applied to be the administrator of Molenaar's estate, which includes properties in Napier and Marlborough, and about $90,000.

Molenaar killed himself after a two-day armed standoff at his Chaucer Rd property in May. He died without leaving a will. Keefe had been Molenaar's de facto partner for 11 years.

In August Keefe applied to become administrator of the estate. The following month, Molenaar's son Maddison, 19, who lives in Auckland, lodged an interest in the estate and opposed Keefe being administrator.

Keefe then claimed Molenaar had not believed Maddison was his son, despite his name being on the birth certificate. A court order has been issued to police to provide a sample of Jan Molenaar's blood so his DNA can be analysed along with a sample from Maddison. Tests have not been carried out yet.

Maddison opposed Keefe being administrator because of her drug dealing convictions. His lawyer, Nathan Gray, argued that Keefe was not competent and would not be able to administer the estate from prison.

Mr Gray also said Keefe's claim that Maddison was not Molenaar's son was opportunistic and brought into question her ability to treat all claimants to the estate even-handedly.

In a decision issued yesterday Justice Pamela Andrews found that it was appropriate that the estate be handled by the Public Trustee because of Keefe's offending, the fact that her version of events related to drug dealing was not accepted by Justice John Wild and that Keefe had failed to accept responsibility for her offending.

In September the solicitor-general issued a restraining order on all Molenaar's assets and ordered that they be put under control of the Official Assignee.

- © Fairfax NZ News