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AUCKLAND - The mothers of murdered teenager Liam Ashley and his killer, George Baker, have met for the first time outside the courtroom and say they are regularly in touch by phone.
Ashley's mother, Lorraine Ashley, and Baker's mother, Denise Boynton, met yesterday at a park in Albany on Auckland's North Shore, nearly six months after Baker killed 17-year-old Ashley in a prison van.
Baker has since admitted murdering Ashley, while an inquiry found the death was preventable and that the two should never have been travelling in the same compartment of the Chubb security van the night Ashley was killed.
Ashley was in the van as he had committed a series of misdemeanours and the family decided he should go to prison and experience the serious consequences of breaking the law.
Ms Boynton and Mrs Ashley talked for an hour, smoked cigarettes, had coffee and embraced during their meeting, the Sunday Star-Times reported today.
Ms Boynton said she felt comfortable talking to Mrs Ashley and that they regularly spoke on the phone.
"She's a warm, loving, understanding mother, that says it all about her really. It's sad that she and I had to meet because of this."
Mrs Ashley said the contact they had was part of a healing process for both of them and that she felt no animosity towards Ms Boynton.
"I feel very, very sorry for her. You can do so much for your children but you never know what road they are going to take. He's her son and she doesn't have a choice. It's part of her job as a mother to stick by him through thick and thin."
Ms Boynton, who is unemployed and lives in a Housing New Zealand flat in Onehunga, Auckland, told the newspaper she had sought help for several years for Baker, who had been in trouble since he was 11 and placed in a number of foster homes.
"Sometimes as mums we think we're alone fighting the system, thinking, 'When is something going to come out of this'?"
Mrs Ashley, who lives with her husband Ian in Beach Haven on Auckland's North Shore and had trouble for some years with Liam, said Ms Boynton had been let down by the system.
"There are families out there crying for help and people aren't listening -- the powers that be aren't doing their jobs, families are just plodding along not knowing where to go for help."
- NZPA
