Schoolgirl murder accused watches police interviews

Liberty Templeman. Photo / Supplied

The teenaged boy accused of murdering Liberty Templeman is this morning watching videos of himself being interviewed by police, recorded just three hours after Liberty's body was found in Kerikeri.

The video tapes are being played before a jury of six men and six women in the boy's trial in the High Court at Whangarei.

The boy, 16, who can not be named because of court suppression orders, appears in the video with his father present for the duration of the interview, which was recorded by police on November 2, 2008.

The boy was aged 14. Police allege the night before the video was taken, the boy attacked Liberty, 15, by striking her, strangling her and dragging her while she was unconscious, leaving her face down in a creek to drown.

They also allege the boy indecently assaulted Liberty by moving some of her clothing to make it appear as if she had been attacked by someone else.

As the tapes were being played to the court, the boy watched the interview, with the same emotionless expression he has maintained throughout the trial, which is in its second week.

His parents sat behind him in the small courtroom, also watching the video.

The video - one of three police interviews with the boy to be shown during the trial - shows the boy detailing his movements on the day Liberty went missing.

The boy told police he had been at a Kerikeri swimming hole with a group of teenagers before they moved on to the driveway of a property where a barbecue was taking place, about 5pm on November 1, 2008.

About half an hour later, as the group was standing around the driveway, Liberty walked around the corner with three teenaged boys and stayed with the group when her friends departed, he said.

Several members of the group wandered to New World supermarket about five minutes later.

Liberty had been seated on the boy's bicycle handlebars as the group cycled and walked together to the supermarket to buy some drinks.

They returned to the driveway and a short time later, Liberty said she wanted to return to the supermarket.

The boy said he would walk with her and told police he left her at an entrance to Kerikeri High School, which he said was the last time her saw her.

The trial, before Justice Raynor Asher, is expected to take until at least Friday.