British couple’s death probed as murder-suicide

The deaths of a British couple in New Zealand are being investigated as a murder-suicide, police have said.

Police said a man and a woman, who have not been named, were found after officers were asked to conduct a welfare check in Roseneath, a suburb of the capital Wellington, on Monday.

The couple is reported to have moved to New Zealand from the UK late last year.

Det Insp Haley Ryan said police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident, but issued an appeal for any information related to the case with them.

Police said in a statement that they were “providing support to the family at the centre of this tragic event”.

“The family have requested privacy as they grieve their loss,” they added.

Police said two bodies were found after officers forced entry to a property on Palliser Road, having been asked by a concerned family member that morning to check in on them.

The couple’s neighbour, Emma Prestidge, told public broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they had moved to the area from London.

“My understanding is they’d finally packed up their lives in London, and all their stuff was in a shipping container and they were kind of looking to move here for good,” she said.

“They were in the next phase of their life, I guess, and ready to kind of set themselves up for the next part of their chapter, which is truly sad.”

Police in New Zealand urged anyone with CCTV of the area to get in contact. Det Insp Ryan earlier said the case was being referred to the coroner.

The BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office and New Zealand Coroner’s Office for comment.