By Anna Sargent for RNZ
A detective has told a Coroner's hearing that John Beckenridge was in a dire financial position at the time he went missing with his stepson, Mike.
The 64-year-old man and the 11-year-old boy disappeared in March 2015, and the hearing is being held to work out if they are missing, or dead.
Detective Jeremy Dix told the court John Beckenridge was desperately short of money in early March 2015.
"He had no money to access, and appeared to be living off his credit card," Dix said.
He said Beckenridge's financial situation was rocky over the years, but in the few months leading up to his disappearance he withdrew money at an abnormally high rate.
Records showed Beckenridge used his eftpos card for the last time a week before he went missing, he said.
He withdrew $900, and was declined trying to take out another $1000.
And Beckenridge was after a lot more money, as Dix learned from Beckenridge's personal banker.
"He advised that John Beckenridge recently requested a $30,000 loan from BNZ but that was rejected due to his financial position at the time," Dix said.
Beckenridge had asked for the loan to fight for custody of Mike, he said.
The pair went missing on 13 March 2015, when Beckenridge broke a court order and picked up Mike from school.
His car was later found in the sea at the bottom of a cliff in the Catlins, but their bodies have never been found.
Mike's family were convinced they were alive and living overseas under assumed identities.
In a statement read to the court by Coronor Marcus Elliot, Mike's mother Fiona Lu said she believed Beckenridge had stashed money to escape the country with Mike.
"You really don't need much money to escape. I believe John had some cash from his Trade Me sales as well as an overseas account. I think he stored money and had a little savings somewhere."
The family's private investigator Mark Templeman said Mike's family believed the pair escaped on a ocean-going yacht or some kind of transportation.
In the hearing, Templeman questioned Dix about whether or not a person could leave the country on a yacht undetected.
Dix said reporting a yacht's departure was based on the person contacting customs themselves.
"If a yacht decided to depart without reporting it to customs you accept that there's no way customs would know they'd gone?" Templeman asked.
"From my understanding yes," Dix replied.
The hearing in Christchurch continues.
RNZ
