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The man who murdered South Otago teenager Michael Hutchings has been sentenced to 13 years jail.
The 38-year-old's sentence was reduced by two years in the High Court in Dunedin this morning, largely due to his guilty plea.
Justice Graham Panckhurst has also sentenced a 30-year-old woman to two years imprisonment for being an accessory after the fact. The pair has continued name suppression.
Mr Hutchings' body was found in the Clutha River in January, wrapped in a plastic mattress cover and weighted down by two steel bars.
In summing up, Justice Panckhurst said the crime was premeditated and calculated, and the impact on the Hutchings' family has been profound.
- NEWSTALK ZB
