Murderer admits making threats against son's grandmother

Nathan Aicken followed the woman through the New World store making "intimidating and abusive comments". Photo / 123RF

A convicted murderer followed a woman around a Dunedin supermarket verbally abusing her over the custody of his son, a court has heard.

Nathan Reihana Aicken appeared in the Dunedin District Court this month, where he admitted a charge of intimidation. In March 1990 in the High Court at Timaru, the 46-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.

The Otago Daily Times requested court documents relating to the case, but the Ministry of Justice said they had been archived because of their historic nature.

Aicken received a minimum non-parole period of 10 years and was released in 2001, the court heard.

On August 8, he walked into Centre City New World supermarket and passed his son's grandmother in an aisle.

The woman had custody of the boy at the time, the court was told. Aicken followed the woman through the store making "intimidating and abusive comments", police said.

A summary of facts stated the defendant pursued the victim for several minutes before staff intervened to ask whether she was all right.

She called the man a "child abuser" before leaving. Aicken was arrested shortly afterwards.

Counsel Meg Scally said her client's 11-year-old son had been living with his mother until 2014, when her client initiated a process to have him returned to his care.

After that the boy lived with his grandmother.

In June, Aicken again applied for full custody.

"It became quite acrimonious," Scally said.

The parties were now only communicating through lawyers, she told Judge Dominic Flatley.

"At the time he was quite frustrated and acknowledged he should have managed himself better," she said.

"It has been impressed upon him that he cannot act in this way."

The judge said Aicken's behaviour was abusive and clearly intimidatory.

"Against your background, that's ill-advised," he said.

Judge Flatley jailed him for six weeks and since he was on life parole it would be up to the Parole Board when he was released.