Movements of murdered Scot probed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7197733.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Police in New Zealand are trying to piece together the final movements of a woman from Orkney who was beaten to death on the country's North Island.

Karen Aim was found lying injured in the street in the town of Taupo in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A team of 50 police officers are investigating what they described as a "ghastly" attack on the 26-year-old after a night out.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that she died of serious head injuries.

CCTV images

Detectives believe her injuries were inflicted by a weapon.

A post-mortem examination failed to identify the weapon.

Friends of the traveller left hundreds of tributes on the social networking website Bebo which Miss Aim updated with stories and pictures of her travels.

CCTV images show Miss Aim visited a BP garage at around 2am on Wednesday shortly after leaving a bar.

She was discovered lying semi-conscious in the street half an hour later.

The traveller was able to tell officers her name but died later in hospital.

The longer those people are at large, the more suspicious it looks for those involved Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner <a class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7196130.stm">Community pays tribute</a>

It was her second visit to New Zealand after a three-month stay in 2006 and she had been working at a glass blowing gallery in the resort town.

Taupo lies on the shores of the country's largest lake and is renowned for its panoramic views and activities ranging from fishing and boating to sky-diving, paragliding and bungee-jumping.

Detective senior sergeant Greg Turner said the hunt for Miss Aim's killer would be hampered by the large numbers of tourists currently in Taupo.

The population of the area is 21,000 which swells to 40,000 in the summer.

Memorial service

The murder investigation is currently focusing on a group who vandalised a nearby college.

Six windows were smashed at the Taupo Nui-A-Tia College at around the time Miss Aim was assaulted, and police are urging them to come forward.

"The longer those people are at large, the more suspicious it looks for those involved," Mr Turner said.

"We would ask again for those people to make contact with us."

A memorial service is planned for next week, with Miss Aim's aunt travelling from Manawatu, an area in the south of North Island, for the church service.