Corrections 'sorry' over t-shirt

The Corrections Department apologised yesterday for giving Liam Ashley's murderer a T-shirt with the words "Keep your eye on the rising star of crime" to wear for a court appearance.

The parents of 17-year-old Liam, who was strangled in the back of a van taking him and his killer to prison, were outraged when the man wore the T-shirt in court in front of them.

The department said the garment came from a pile of clothes donated by a prisoners' aid group and was given to the man because police had taken his clothes for forensic testing.

A spokesman said prison officers were not aware of the shirt's words because the man had initially put on the T-shirt inside out but then changed it before appearing in court.

- NZPA