Liberty's family hope for harsher prison term

Liberty Templeman. Photo / Suppled

The grieving family of slain schoolgirl Liberty Templeman is hoping the "lenient" sentence imposed on her killer will be appealed against.

The Solicitor-General is considering a request from Crown prosecutor Mike Smith to appeal against the 11-year sentence imposed on 16-year-old Theo Kriel by Justice Raynor Asher in March.

Crown Law Office spokeswoman Jan Fulstow confirmed to the Northern Advocate newspaper that Mr Smith's request had been received.

Kriel beat Liberty, 15, unconscious, strangling her and then dragging her before leaving her to drown in a stream in Kerikeri.

Liberty's outraged parents said the sentence was "farcical" and that Kriel should serve at least 30 years.

Last night, Liberty's mother Rebecca Templeman said that even if an appeal was not granted, she hoped to raise awareness in a bid to change New Zealand's light sentencing laws.

"Either way we are going to fight this."

Mrs Templeman remains baffled by Kriel's sentence and the discrepancies between our judicial system and that of her homeland, England.

Mrs Templeman's second cousin Lewis Watson was stabbed to death in Sudbury, England last September and just five months later, his 26-year-old killer had been sentenced to 21 years in prison - 19 of them non-parole.

Mrs Templeman has written to several people, including Prime Minister John Key and Police Minister Judith Collins raising her concerns about the leniency in the country's judicial system.

"Right from the start we've been appalled by the lenient sentence given to Kriel. It's not even a year for every year of Liberty's life.

"We can't do anything to change what happened to Liberty but the leniency of the sentence makes us feel that there is no justice and that life really is worthless and it's not sending the right message to other would-be criminals.

"We may not be able to change the sentence that's been imposed on Kriel but if some good can come out of this, some awareness can be made. I don't think people realise unless they're involved in something like this and you go through the system.

"We are ordinary people and we've been hit with the most awful crime and evil and we need to try and do something to make it a deterrent."

Liberty's grandmothers in Britain were also circulating a petition to help raise awareness.

In the High Court at Whangarei last month, Mr Smith argued for a minimum jail term of 17 years before parole, but Kriel's defence counsel Catherine Cull said that was too long.

Mr Smith did not wish to comment until the Solicitor-General had made a decision on the appeal.

A decision is expected within the next fortnight.

- Additional reporting NZPA