Derek Round killed in 'horrific attack'

Round, 77, was found at his flat in Whanganui, New Zealand, on 17 May. Police said he appeared to have suffered a “number of violent blows to the ahead” in his living room the previous evening. On 22 May police arrested Michael Umanui Werahiko, 31, and charged him with murdering Round. A judge remanded Werahiko in custody without plea until 6 June.

Prior to Werahiko’s arrest police said Round’s 1996 blue Jaguar was seen being driven about 30 minutes before his body was discovered by a member of the public. “We believe the perpetrator or perpetrators for this killing have taken Derek’s car on Wednesday evening and returned it some time Thursday morning,” police said. Police now have the car.

“For such a gentle, benign person this was a hideously unfitting and mindless end,” said Nick Turner, Saigon bureau chief from 1962 to 1964.

Round’s early years in journalism were spent largely as a reporter for the New Zealand Press Association in the country’s parliamentary press gallery (1962-1963), followed by a spell with the Australian Associated Press (1963-1965). He was with Reuters in Singapore from 1965-1966, was manager for Singapore and Malaysia 1967-1968, and chief representative Hong Kong in 1968. For four years from 1973 he was NZPA’s Asia correspondent. In 1975 he flew to Hong Kong a fortnight before the fall of Saigon. Round later became the agency’s political editor and then its London correspondent before returning to Wellington to serve as editor for five years.

He was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010 for services to journalism.

His cousin Martin Round told New Zealand’s 3 News channel that Round served as a spy for the Security Intelligence Service after he was contacted by the Soviet Union. “The Russians paid him £30 a fortnight, which Derek gave to SIS, and SIS paid Derek either £20 or £25 a fortnight,” he said.

The funeral in Wellington on 28 May was attended by more than 300 people. In eulogies led by his colleague Richard Long, Round was described as being devoted to news. “He had amazing self-discipline, when we were living in Hong Kong he would wake up every hour throughout to listen to the news bulletin,” Long said. ■