Photo: 123RF
Police are following a new lead which they hope will solve a 26-year-old cold case on the West Coast.
A homicide investigation was launched in the final days of 1998, when David Robinson's body was found on a remote beach near the town of Ross.
Police re-opened the case last month.
They said a reported sighting of Robinson the day before his death is significant, as they work to piece together the timeframe before his murder.
The new information comes after police spoke to West Coast residents about what happened.
Detective Inspector Geoff Baber said a witness reported seeing Robinson on a street corner at the northern end of Bold Head Road near Kakapotahi, the day before he died.
That person also reported seeing Robinson in the passenger seat of a green four-wheel drive around the same time.
"The timing of that sighting is obviously pertinent because it fits in with the unexplained gunshot, which we have also heard reports about and we understand was the following day ... prior to that the last confirmed sighting we have of David was in November."
Baber said the person who reported the sighting had been spoken to by police as part of earlier investigation work, but had since recalled seeing Robinson. The investigation team had asked different questions in order to firm up existing information about the case.
"Obviously there has been a passage of time, but there has been a consistency of information and this very much fits in with that so we have no issues with what we have been told and believe that it is on point and accurate."
He said the sighting occurred just before a gunshot was reported to have been heard by several people in the Kakapotahi settlement, in mid-December.
"Nobody has been able to tell us who fired that shot and what the shot was fired for, so the timing of it is significant for us and then obviously the way and manner in which David was killed just adds to the puzzle, which unfortunately there are still pieces missing."
One of those, is who was driving the green-coloured four-wheel drive vehicle and where they were headed.
Baber said police were keen to hear from anyone with knowledge of such a vehicle, or anyone who picked Robinson up around that time.
"David's quite a distinctive person, people would remember him if they had picked him up."
Baber said it was not clear what the motive for the murder was but it was something the investigation team hoped to be able to answer for Robinson's family.
Having re-interviewed a number of people, police officers from the West Coast Criminal Investigations Branch, with support from staff from the Tasman Police District, were working their way through the new information. Baber said the investigation had already been progressed further than it had previously.
Robinson's mother was being kept up to date with the investigation, and was involved in the process.
"David lived an itinerant lifestyle and didn't have a lot of contact with family ... but they still want to have answers, just as much as we do and talking to the community it is quite clear they still want the answers too."
Baber said he was confident the case could be solved.
"There are people who know what happened, they are either involved with the killing or have heard some things ... and I would very much like those people to come forward and talk to police and let us know what happened.
"It is very important for the community as a whole, it's a big question mark over that part of Westland and we'd like to shut the book on it if we can."
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