A West Auckland woman accused of causing the death of a well-known local who tried to intervene in a fight can now be named.
Interim suppression lapsed today for Pauline Cullen as she appeared in the High Court at Auckland for the first time since she was charged.
The 28-year-old Glen Eden resident was initially charged with common assault following a September 24 incident along Captain Scott Rd at Glenmall in which a witness said Andre Wickliffe, 65, tried to play peacemaker as two women were fighting.
The charge was upgraded to manslaughter and transferred from Waitakere District Court to the High Court after Wickliffe’s death in hospital about two weeks later.
A nearby dairy employee described Wickliffe, who had previously lived out of his car in the area before securing a state house, as having been “quite famous in Glen Eden” for several decades. He described the man as “really nice” and “generous”, with many friends in the area.
Wickliffe was also the uncle of former teen television star-turned-501 deportee Lionel Allan, who died in a suspected hit-and-run just days before his uncle’s death.
During today’s court appearance, lawyer Hermann Retzlaff entered a not guilty plea on Cullen’s behalf.
Justice Sally Fitzgerald set the trial day for May 2024.
Cullen was remanded on bail on existing conditions to await trial.
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
