A MAN accused of murder- ing Bolton mum-of-three Sara Niethe in New Zealand handed some of her personal belongings to her family the day after she went missing, court documents show.

Ms Niethe, who grew up in Bolton, went missing, aged 32, eight years ago after arguing with her ex-boyfriend, Mark Pakenham, at his home in Kai- here, 80 miles south east of Auck- land.

Pakenham was charged with Ms Niethe’s murder last month after a cold case review by detec- tives uncovered new evidence, and he made his second court appearance on Tuesday.

His application to be released on bail with an electronic tag was declined by the judge.

A police summary of the case against Pakenham reveals the 49-year-old labourer went to Ms Niethe’s house the day after she disappeared and handed some of her things — a phone, sunglass- es, cigarettes and a lighter — to her eight-year-old daughter, Simone.

Ms Niethe’s mum, Eileen Mar- beck, had already started search- ing for her daughter because she was worried when she did not answer phone calls.

Pakenham told police in 2003 that Ms Niethe, whose father, David Marbeck lives in Shire- burn Avenue, Tonge Fold, had been at his house on the night she disappeared. He said they argued because she wanted him to drive her home, but he refused because he had been drinking.

Pakenham claims there was a brief, non-violent, struggle as he tried to prevent her leaving, but she eventually drove away.

Ms Niethe was last seen at 2pm in Ngatea, a small town between her house and Pakenham’s, where she bought a bottle of whisky, cigarettes and mixing drinks.

She had borrowed her mum’s Honda Civic, which was later seen outside Pakenham’s house.

Neither Ms Niethe’s body nor the car have ever been found.

Police searched Pakenham’s house but found no clues as to her whereabouts.

Pakenham will return to the Thames District Court on December 2 for a post-committal hearing.