Karen Aim's family will leave for Scotland today confident that justice has been done for their daughter's murder.
They came to New Zealand in January from their home in the remote Orkney Islands vowing to sit through each day of the lengthy trial of her killer, Jahche Broughton. But hechanged his plea to guilty last month.
There were emotional scenes as Mr Aim read a victim impact statement in court.
"I would have been so proud to have taken Karen down the aisle in her wedding dress, instead I took Karen down the aisle in a coffin," he said.
"Jahche denied her the possibility of becoming a mother or a granny.
"Nobody in this world should have to go through the pain and suffering that Jahche has brought on this family."
He said the murder had put a strain on his marriage and the relationship with his son. He had been in and out of hospital with breathing problems and suffered a loss of about $20,000 from his building business as a result of grief.
Mr Aim said the question of why his daughter was killed had still not been answered and probably never would be. He had asked Broughton's mother at a meeting between the two families last week. "She said he did it for money for drugs ... I can't see that he would think that Karen would have a vast amount of money."
The officer in charge of the investigation, Greg Turner, said outside the court that it had been hard for the Aims only being able to liaise with police on the phone during the hunt for their daughter's murderer.
