‘He was living out his fantasies’

Quick-thinking flatmates led police to Monica Cantwell's killer.

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15th January, 2011

Crime

The rape and murder of English tourist Monica Cantwell on Mt Maunganui (Mauao) on November 20, 1989, was a chilling crime. But it was the cold and cruel attitude of the killer himself that left an indelible impression on the police officer who headed the inquiry. Detective Inspector Colin Lines, now retired, was at the time New Zealand's most experienced homicide detective. He says Cantwell's killer, 20-year-old Charlie Coulam, "was one of the few murderers I have ever dealt with that I could say with almost certainty that he would re-offend. "He was one of those guys who had ...

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