Man in court accused of woman’s murder

A man charged with murdering Northland woman Gaelene Bright is also facing firearms charges. The 65-year-old Northland man, who has name suppression, appeared in the Hastings District Court yesterday, accused of murdering Bright on or before May 1. He is also charged with unlawfully possessing a .22 rifle between May 1 and May 8, and was remanded in custody to appear in the High Court in Whangārei in June. Bright, 69, was last seen on May 1 at her house at Waimamaku, a rural village in Northland. On Tuesday afternoon, police searching for Bright discovered a body in Waimamaku’s Waipoua Forest. Meanwhile, a scene examination was under way in Waipoua Forest.