A man being sentenced for murder had to be removed from court after he began swearing at the victim's 76‑year‑old mother.
Michael Waipouri was last month found guilty of killing Lance Murphy at Wellsford, north of Auckland, in 2015. He crushed his skull with a baseball bat and a tree branch on a remote hilltop.
The victim's mother, Mary Murphy, had just given her victim impact statement at the High Court in Auckland.
Mrs Murphy told the court her son was community‑minded and would give people the shirt off his back.
She said because of the nature of his injuries she was never allowed to see or touch him in his coffin.
After she spoke directly to him, Waipouri began angrily shouting at Mr Murphy's family in the public gallery.
The sentencing was due to continue.
Source: RadioNZ
