Lipine Sila in court during his murder trial. File photo / One News
Lipine Sila in court during his murder trial. File photo / One News
On May 5, 2007, Lipine Sila murdered Hannah Rossiter and Jane Young and caused grievous bodily harm to eight other teens when he drove his car through a crowd outside a party in the Christchurch suburb of Edgeware.
The collision took place after Sila and his brother had been involved in fights at the gathering.
Sila claimed he was scared for his life and was trying to get away from people attacking him - and that he never meant to harm any of the victims.
However, a jury found him guilty of murder and in 2008 he was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
The murders were like nothing seen in New Zealand before. They impacted many in Christchurch - from the family and friends of the dead girls to their schoolmates and community, the wider city and the country.
There was anger towards Sila, toward those who organised the party - which had been widely shared and discussed on social media in the week leading up to it - and police for their response when it was clear it was about to go haywire.
Jane Young and Hannah Rossiter
In this episode of A Moment In Crime, senior journalist Anna Leask revisits the Edgeware Road murders - taking you inside the tragic party, the police handling of it and the trial and sentencing of one of the country’s most notorious double murderers.
A Moment In Crime is an NZME podcast produced monthly by Leask, who has been a specialist crime and justice reporter for almost two decades.
Some of Leask’s more notable work includes coverage of the murder of British tourist Grace Millane, the killing of Auckland teenager Christie Marceau and countless high-profile stories in her specialist areas of family violence, child abuse and crimes against women.
Leask has also reported on most of the major incidents and events in New Zealand during that period including the Christchurch quakes, Pike River mine disaster, March 15 terror attack and the White Island eruption.
“Each month I’ll take you inside some of our most infamous incidents, notorious offenders and behind the scenes of high-profile trials and events to show you what’s really happening in your backyard,” she said.
“Heroes and villains battle for justice to be done, and it seems no matter how horrifying the story, we always want to know more.”
A Moment In Crime is a NZ Herald true crime podcast. New episodes are available monthly on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode was written and produced by Anna Leask and edited by James Irwin, with executive producer Ethan Sills.
If there is a case you would like Leask to consider covering, please email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz
