KEY POINTS:
Graeme Burton, who shot and killed a man while on the run from police, may face the harshest sentence available when a High Court judge determines his fate next month.
Burton, 36, pleaded guilty on February 2 to murdering quad bike rider Karl Kuchenbecker on a fire break in the Hutt hills on January 6.
He also admitted 10 other charges, all arising from events on the fire break, including the attempted murder of two mountain bikers and using a firearm against two police officers.
He was shot and caught by police after wounding two more mountain bikers. His right leg was amputated above the knee the next day.
Burton was on parole and on the run from police when he committed the crimes.
He will be sentenced on April 3.
In a hearing in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, prosecutor Grant Burston indicated the Crown might seek a sentence of preventive detention for Burton.
Preventive detention is an indeterminate, lifelong sentence for the highest-risk offenders. Under it, prisoners cannot be released from jail while still considered a risk to the community. If a release is granted, they can still be recalled to prison at any point for the rest of their lives.
Mr Burston said several of the charges, including attempted murder, qualified for a sentence of preventive detention under the Sentencing Act.
He asked Justice Denis Clifford to order psychiatric and psychological reports on Burton as these would be required if preventive detention was sought.
The prosecutor said the Crown already planned to seek a very high minimum non-parole term on the murder charge, but wanted to have the option of also seeking preventive detention on the other charges.
Mr Burston said a pre-sentence report indicated Burton had a high risk of reoffending and was a risk to community safety.
Justice Clifford agreed the court should "at least leave the door open" for preventive detention, and ordered that the reports be obtained to enable this to be done.
If the Crown then considered preventive detention was appropriate this would allow it to ask for it.
Burton has a previous murder conviction - he was paroled last July after serving 14 years of a life sentence for killing nightclub lighting technician Paul Neville Anderson.
He was excused from attending yesterday's hearing.
- NZPA
