Poisoner gets four-year jail term

The family of a man poisoned and buried by his wife have attacked the jail sentence she has been given for the killing.

Christine King, 51, was jailed for four years and three months yesterday for the 1988 manslaughter of Wayne Roycroft.

She claimed she was driven to kill him after years of sexual, verbal and physical abuse, although his family maintain he never abused her.

The sentence was greeted with silence and some tears by King supporters, but Mr Roycroft's family were outraged.

Outside the court, brother Brett Roycroft said he was gutted.

He said a sentence closer to 10 years was appropriate and would have offered some solace after the family had had to endure years of not knowing what had happened to him.

Mr Roycroft said it was not justice when a number of false claims could be made against his brother when he was no longer around to defend his name.

"Nobody stood up for my brother. Most of what was said was not true."

Mr Roycroft's mother Aileen said she was too upset to discuss the sentence.

Justice Ron Young said the years of "sexual, physical and verbal abuse" endured by King, and the physical and verbal abuse against her daughters from an earlier marriage, had been the catalyst for the killing.

Although it was difficult to know the true extent of the abuse meted out by Mr Roycroft, he "accepted it happened regularly".

However, Justice Young did not believe King's claims that she had not intended to kill him.

During the 10-day trial it was revealed that King had taken to grinding up to four of her prescription sleeping pills in her husband's meals when she believed he would become abusive.

But on the day of his death King added more than 30 pills to his dinner before burying him in the garden of their home at Waihou, 16km northeast of Morrinsville.

"You lost it and put into his meal 30-plus pills ... a clear intention to achieve quite a different end to simply putting him to sleep," the judge said."While you denied persistently intending to kill him, I am satisfied here that your actions spoke louder than your words."

Justice Young said the sentence was also influenced by the low risk of King re-offending, and her early guilty plea.

However, a degree of premeditation to the killing, and King's involvement in later digging up and burning the body, also influenced his decision.

King's sister Elle Mitchell, who protested against domestic violence with about 15 others before the sentence, said the family were sorry their sister would spend more time in jail but they had to accept the decision.

'She has been sentenced now, hopefully the time will go fast. We are happy it is all out there and we can have closure."

Daniel Roycroft, 22, son of King and Roycroft, said the sentence was too long. "She has already served a life sentence."

He said he would continue to support his mother, who had always been there for him.

"She was always there to pick me up when I fell down, she is an awesome loving mum."

He declined to discuss his father but railed at suggestions he had been unfairly portrayed during the trial.

"They know what he was like."

Defence lawyer Judith Ablett Kerr, QC, said King would appeal against the length of the sentence.

Ms Ablett Kerr said "significant issues" around the impact of prolonged domestic violence on her client had been raised during the trial which her client believed should have shortened the sentence.

Ms Ablett Kerr had sought jail time of less than two years with the option to seek home detention.

Crown prosecutors called for a sentence of eight to nine years.