Neil McLeod

Neil McLeod (1846 – 30 July 1890) was a Constable of the New Zealand Police. He was shot and killed while aboard the steamer Minnie Casey at Mangawhare Wharf (near Dargaville) by gum-digger Henry Funcke.

Early life

Neil McLeod was born on Rona, Inverness-shire, in 1846. Together with his family he emigrated to New Zealand aboard the ship Viscount Canning, arriving in 1865. The family initially settled in the Thames goldfields where they were involved in gold mining.

Police career

When he was 25, in 1871, he moved to the Waikato where he joined the Constabulary Field Force and was initially stationed to Alexandra (now known as Pirongia). In 1880 he was transferred to the Auckland police force, where he was placed in charge of the Warkworth and Matakana police districts. In 1887, he was transferred to Dargaville.

The steamer returned to Dargaville, where McLeod's body was taken off. A group of settlers armed themselves with rifles and, led by Constables Scott and Carr, walked back to Mangawhare Wharf in pursuit. The group found Funcke still at the wharf, demanded he surrender, and fired a blank shot. Funcke lifted up his hands as if to fire and was shot twice, in the groin and chest. He fell, and was arrested. He was reportedly a 'maniac' and had been drinking before the incident. He was charged with Constable McLeod's murder and tried in September 1890. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and confined. He died, at the age of 54, on 9 August 1897, at the Avondale Asylum. His death was widely reported in New Zealand newspapers.