Martin Schofield in the Rotorua High Court. Photo / Ben Fraser
Martin Schofield in the Rotorua High Court. Photo / Ben Fraser
A Taupo man who killed his partner in an "unprovoked and cowardly" hammer attack has told the woman's daughters he was enjoying prison, comparing it to a holiday park.
Martin Cranswick Schofield, 49, was sentenced at the High Court in Rotorua today after previously pleading guilty to the murder of 47-year-old Katrina Drummond.
Justice Kit Toogood sentenced Schofield to life in prison with a non-parole period of 11 years.
Ms Drummond was found dead in a bedroom of her Elizabeth St home in Taupo in April.
Schofield had "snapped" after finding out Ms Drummond was seeing another man and hit her in the back of the head at least seven times with a claw hammer.
Two of Ms Drummond's three daughters wrote victim impact statements detailing what Justice Toogood described as the "devastating effects" of Schofield's actions.
Lana Schofield, whose statement was read out by a family friend, wrote there were no words to describe the pain of losing her mother.
"Martin has single-handedly ruined our lives and the life of our mother.
"He has not said sorry once and instead says we have all had a hand in her murder, wanting us to feel guilty... He truly believes mum had it coming and he did her a favour.
"He had a choice, he could have manned up and accepted that mum didn't love him but instead he chose to end her life and left us with a void that will never be filled."
Katrina Drummond was found dead in a bedroom of her Taupo home. Photo / Supplied via Facebook
Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon read the victim impact statement of Zara Schofield, who wrote she would "never forget Martin was the one who took my mother from me and I will never forgive him".
"I know justice will be served today but it will never be enough. Martin not only took away my mother, but one of my best friends - the person who I went to for everything.
"I found out shortly after her death that I was pregnant and I now have to go through my first pregnancy without the support of my mum. She never got to know she was going to be a grandmother."
She said Schofield had been writing letters to the three daughters which she described as "chatty in nature".
"He had the nerve to tell us he was enjoying prison, saying it was like being in a Top 10 Holiday Park."
The summary of facts revealed Schofield "snapped" on the night of the attack after finding out Ms Drummond was seeing another man.
After scratching derogatory words into Ms Drummond's car, Schofield returned to the house with a claw hammer and hit her in the back of the head at least seven times in what was described in a post mortem report as an "unsurvivable attack".
Schofield then drove to the Taupo police station where he handed himself in.
Justice Toogood said Schofield was assessed as having a high risk of reoffending and showed an "inability to acknowledge the full extent to which his actions have affected the daughters, family and community".
"Your attack on Ms Drummond was unprovoked and cowardly, resulting in the loss of a woman described as 'amazing' and 'beautiful'.
"You think time will heal your relationship with your daughters which shows how little insight you have into the seriousness of your actions and you have displayed a remarkable lack of empathy."
Schofield smiled and said "Yes" as he left the dock after receiving his sentence.
