Sandy Graham launches appeal over ‘callous and merciless’ murder of Dale Watene

Sandy Graham (left) is appealing her conviction and sentence for the murder of Dale Watene. Photo / ODT

A woman who was described as callous and merciless for her killing of Dale Watene is appealing her conviction and sentence.

Sandy Graham was found guilty of the murder of Watene after a three-week jury trial in the High Court in Invercargill in June last year.

She was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of 13 years for the murder of Watene in the small Southland town of Ōtautau on April 16, 2020.

Today the Court of Appeal confirmed Graham had appealed her conviction and sentence.

At sentencing, Justice Gerald Nation said the killing and cover-up was callous and merciless.

Graham’s cover-up included telling one of her children Watene was playing dead on the night in question.

Dale Watene.

She recruited her friend George Hyde to help her first hide, then dispose of Watene’s body, while pointing the finger at other possible suspects.

Hyde narrowly avoided a jail term for his role in the cover-up of the murder, instead receiving a sentence of eight months’ home detention.

It was revealed in court that while digging Watene’s grave with Hyde, her children played nearby.

She also sent messages to Watene’s mother Christine, saying she would let her know if she heard anything about his disappearance.

Watene’s body was found a month after his death, buried in a shallow grave in the Longwood Forest and covered in rubble that came from Hyde’s house.

Graham claimed the killing took place during a heated argument between herself and Watene, and that the gun went off accidentally during a struggle for the weapon.

It wasn’t until she got to trial that Graham claimed the shooting was accidental; however, she was unable to recall who pulled the trigger.

The cover-up, she said in evidence, was because she was scared she would lose her children to Oranga Tamariki.

A hearing date has not yet been set for the appeal.