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Friends of prison van murder victim Liam Ashley have been paying tribute to his love of the "pirate life" by flying flags from the tops of some of the North Shore's tallest trees.
A skull and crossbones flag was put at the top of a 50m Norfolk pine on Rangatira Rd three weeks ago.
Four more flags have since been hoisted. The latest, at Takapuna Beach, can be seen from nearby offices.
They are made from bed sheets and spraypainted with slogans such as "R.I.P Crazy".
Liam, who had attention deficit hyperactive disorder, was "Crazy Liam" to his friends.
The 17-year-old loved the "pirate life", described by friends as "living a life like pirates, cruising around, doing what we wanted. Drinking rum and having fun."
Liam was bashed and strangled in a Chubb prison van on August 24 by hardened criminal George Charlie Baker after they were placed in a compartment together contrary to regulations about keeping adults and youths apart.
He was in custody after his Beach Haven parents tried a "tough love" measure, having exhausted all other ways of dealing with his behaviour.
One of Liam's friends, who did not want to be named but was involved in the flag raising, said it was not any kind of protest, just a form of remembrance.
"Liam would have liked putting the flags up too."
