Slain farm worker: Cries of relief over guilty verdict

The family of a North Otago man beaten to death in a prolonged and brutal attack cried out with pain and relief as his ''gutless'' killers were found guilty of murder. Photo / Otago Daily Times

The family of a North Otago man beaten to death in a prolonged and brutal attack cried out with pain and relief as his ''gutless'' killers were found guilty of murder.

Justin Conrad McFarlane, 35, was found dead at his Elderslie house, inland from Oamaru, after ''a long brutal beating'' in September last year.

The four men found guilty of murder and the woman found guilty as an accessory stood mostly impassive as the verdicts were delivered in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday.

Mr McFarlane's ex-wife, Alysha Collins, said the way the murder accused acted in court throughout the trial - at times laughing and joking among themselves - showed they were ''gutless'' and lacked remorse.

Mr McFarlane's sister, Kim Julius, who wiped away tears as she left the courtroom, said their actions in court ''pretty much sums them up. That was one of the things that got me the most was their careless disregard for our feelings.''

The fact none of them pleaded guilty was ''indicative of the people they are. They were never going to own up, they were never going to take responsibility.''

She, along with other friends and family, had been in court for much of the ''extremely tough'' nine-week trial.

''We were here to see justice for our brother,'' she said.

She was ''over the moon'' at the verdicts, which were ''a big step'' in the healing process.

On what the friends and family had gone through since Mr McFarlane was killed, she said, ''You can't even put it into words''.

She thanked prosecutors and police for the ''phenomenal job'' they had done bringing those involved to justice.

''It's a victory for them too.''

Detective Senior Sergeant John Ferguson, who oversaw the case and sat through the trial, said the guilty verdicts were pleasing for Mr McFarlane's friends and family.

''The outcome hopefully will be a step towards a sense of closure for Justin's family,'' Mr Ferguson said.

Because of its complex nature, the case required a significant amount of investigation work by police, he said.

''I'd like to pay tribute to our police staff who have put in long hours and lots of hard work to ensure that the investigation was thorough and of a high quality.''

The verdicts

Guilty of murdering Justin Conrad McFarlane (35) in his Pine Hill Rd farmhouse in Elderslie, North Otago, in September last year, are:

• Robert James Cummings, 23, of Oamaru.

• Steven Kenneth Boskell, 20, of Palmerston.

• Ryan Geary-Smart, 24, of Oamaru.

• His brother, Jacob Christopher Geary-Smart, 23, of Oamaru.

Guilty of being an accessory after the fact of murder is:

• Stephanie Rose McCormack, 27, of Timaru.