Ōpōtiki man charged with elderly man's murder two years after death

Ōpōtiki man charged with elderly man's murder two years after death
Photo credit: File

A man has been charged with murder in relation to the death of an elderly Ōpōtiki man.

In July 2016, 77-year-old Brian Albert Hilton was admitted to Tauranga Hospital with facial injuries, which police believed at the time to have been caused by an accidental fall at his home. He died six days later.

In early December 2018, Bay of Plenty Police announced they had received new information in relation to Mr Hilton's death and would now be treating it as a homicide investigation.

On Tuesday, a 50-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder. He will appear in Whakatane District Court on Wednesday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Standen says Mr Hilton's family will not be making any comments about the case at this time.

"This has been an extremely difficult time for Mr Hilton's family, and they continue to request privacy," he said.

Police are also prevented from commenting on the case further as the matter is now before the Court.

Newshub.