A 39-year-old taxi driver and father of two was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 14 years in the High Court at Dunedin.
Trevor Neil Smith had pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering Karen Cherie Bellamy, 31, on February 7, at Oamaru. Justice Hansen gave credit for Smith's guilty plea, saving the victim's family from a "painful trial".
Senior Sergeant Wayne Stringer of Oamaru said it was a "good sentence".
Taxi driver gets minimum 14 years for murder
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