The Star: March 07, 2024

Thursday March 7 2024 The Star
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
NEWS 13
How killer’s texts to journalist
ended up in a High Court trial
On Tuesday, former
prison guard David
Benbow was sentenced
to life imprisonment
with a minimum nonparole
period of 17
years for murdering
his childhood friend
Michael McGrath nearly
seven years after he
disappeared. New
Zealand Herald senior
crime
reporter
Sam
Sherwood
reports
on how a
series of
text messages from a
man who called himself
‘Nigel’ led to him being
called as a Crown
witness in a murder trial
“HELLO, SAM. You inquired
about a witch-hunt of a good
friend of mine,” the conversation
began shortly after I arrived
home from work.
Looking at my phone, I knew
instantly the message from the
unknown number related to
an approach I’d made two days
earlier to David Benbow.
It was nearly 300 days since
his childhood friend Michael
McGrath went missing and
Benbow had just put his family
home on Candys Rd, Halswell,
up for sale a second time.
He’d tried selling it several
months earlier with another real
estate agent, but following media
coverage of the listing, they
decided to pull out as it was “too
much hassle”.
McGrath had done some work
on the property, helping Benbow
work on a deck and also making
a playhouse for his children.
McGrath’s disappearance on
May 22, 2017 made national
headlines, with several police
press conferences being held as
detectives appealed for sightings
of the 49-year-old.
However, to date, Benbow,
whom police said was a “person
of interest”, was yet to make
any public comment aside from
telling a reporter from The Press
he was the victim of a witchhunt.
I had spent many hours
looking for another way to
contact Benbow. I couldn’t find
a Facebook account, and he was
not in the phone book. I had
tried calling his mum, but she
did not want to comment.
It was not until March 2018,
when his house was listed for sale
a second time, that I got what I
was after. I went online and the
real estate agency had uploaded
TEXTS: At the first trial, David Benbow admitted being the person behind the text
messages sent to journalist Sam Sherwood.
PHOTO: KURT BAYER/NZ HERALD
several documents related to
the house. As I scanned the
documents, I spotted one which
included Benbow’s cellphone
number. Finally, I had an
avenue through which I could
communicate with him.
I wasn’t under any impression
he would agree to an hourlong
interview but felt it was
important, given I was intending
on writing a story, that I give him
a chance to comment.
I called on March 14, the
phone rang and Benbow
answered. He wasn’t interested in
talking.
I then sent him a text saying
I wanted to give him the
opportunity to talk about how
the last 300 days had been for
him. I said I had some questions
for him, including how he
believed he was the victim of a
“witch-hunt”.
I got no response and thought
that was the end of it.
Then, two days later on March
16, 2018, I received the first
message from an unknown
number.
Another text followed saying
Joanna Green, Benbow’s expartner,
had “triggered the
investigation”. They claimed
Green had a “chronic drinking
problem”.
“Confirmed is in new
relationship with Michael,” they
said before alleging Green “can
be violent on occasions”.
I asked who I was speaking
to, and they said their name
was Nigel. I was immediately
suspicious about who was really
behind the texts – in the back of
my mind, I wondered, ‘What’s
this man, whom I believe to be
Benbow, going to tell me? Will he
slip up?’
“The police have never
searched her rental house . . . or
her car,” the messages continued.
“She is a person of interest, but
In the back of my mind, I wondered, ‘What’s this man, whom I believe to be Benbow,
going to tell me? Will he slip up?’ – Sam Sherwood
you don’t put her photo in the
press and occupation.”
I asked Nigel whether Benbow
would be happy to speak to me,
hoping I would finally get an
interview with him. Nigel said he
would ask him the next day.
I told Nigel at the time I was
not in possession of a photo of
Green, which was why we had
not published any.
“Because your 1 dimensional
eg witchhunt, getting the idea
now (sic),” Nigel said.
The word witch-hunt, which
Michael McGrath was last
seen at his Halswell home
in May 2017.
by now Nigel had used twice,
piqued my suspicions further,
given it was the term I had used
in my text to Benbow.
He then told me to go to
Green’s workplace the following
Monday morning to get a photo
of her, supplying her number
plate to make it easier to find her.
I then asked Nigel how his
good friend was coping, hoping
I might be able to use these
comments later down the track
if I were ever able to confirm
Benbow was behind the phone
number.
“Ask yourself the question.
David has had his life turned
upside-down, all the press
coverage, 300 days of no
evidence. I don’t think David is
that clever. But I bet you publish
another article in the morning.”
Nigel then tells me two young
girls were sitting in the gutter
opposite McGrath’s house in the
early hours of the morning over
the period in question, which
was reported by a neighbour but
had not been mentioned.
“A commotion and loud voices
reported about 2.45am over that
period by three neighbours. One
neighbour witnessed a vehicle
driving off. It wasn’t David’s
vehicle and he wasn’t present.
But the police still promoted his
vehicle on (Police Ten 7).”
• Turn to page 14
INVESTIGATION: Police searching David Benbow’s Candys Rd property (left) and Michael McGrath’s in Checkett Ave,
both in Halswell.
PHOTOS: KURT BAYER/NZ HERALD