KEY POINTS:
The grieving family of a teenage tagger who was killed in Manurewa were ordered by a district court judge to change out of their memorial T-shirts before he freed on bail the man accused of the 15-year-old's murder.
Bruce William Emery, 50, appeared in the Manukau District Court yesterday charged with murdering Pihema Clifford Cameron, who was about to tag Emery's fence when he was fatally stabbed on January 26.
Before Emery appeared in court, a group of Pihema's family - who have arrived at three previous court appearances wearing green T-shirts with Pihema's photo on them - were told by Judge David Harvey that they would have to get changed.
"I would not like it to be thought that any messages that you wore in here ... were seen as unduly influencing the judicial process."
Judge Harvey asked the group to remove the shirts or turn them inside out during the morning tea break.
"You're perfectly welcome to be here but I think you should dress appropriately."
Outside the court, Pihema's family said the T-shirts represented the Strictly Green Tag Team Pihema played for in the sport tag, which is similar to touch rugby.
Some were upset they had been asked to remove the shirts and others said it was fair enough.
When the court reconvened Emery's lawyer, Chris Comeskey, took the unusual step of handing Judge Harvey a memo with details of his client's proposed bail so that it was not read aloud. The judge granted the bail and suppressed all details.
Gasps were heard in the courtroom as Emery was granted his freedom.
Outside court, Pihema's aunt and godmother, Francine Harrison, expressed her outrage: "That guy gets to go home and cuddle his family. We get to go visit our boy at an urupa [cemetery] ... probably where we're going now [to] tell him we failed him.
"We were supposed to be here to see that he [Emery] got justice and he got nothing. Now we've got to go and cuddle a gravestone. Why should he be let out? He gets to go and cuddle his family and embrace his wife and we get to go and sit by cold dirt. I just don't see the justice in that."
Emery - apparently ushered away from the normal bail-release area through a tunnel - emerged from Manukau police station and got into a vehicle without speaking.
However, his sister, who requested anonymity, later told the Weekend Herald she was pleased her brother was free but said she hadn't had much time to think about it.
"We've just got to get our thoughts [together] and deal with the next stage in our lives really, as best we can. We're sort of not really equipped for this sort of life."
Garth McVicar of the Sensible Sentencing Trust commended Judge Harvey on making his order against the T-shirts, saying that over the years there had been a deterioration of respect for the courts.
Emery will reappear in court on April 2 for a pre-depositions hearing.
