Gavin Gosnell has officially launched an appeal against his conviction for the murder of Christchurch teenager Hayden Miles.
The Court of Appeal confirmed Gosnell has lodged the appeal against life sentence for the murder of the 15-year-old. He was sentenced to a minimum non parole period of eighteen years after he beat the teenager to death in 2011.
The pair met through Gosnell's girlfriend Nicolette Vaux-Phillips, who was convicted of being an accessory after the fact, and after a night of drinking at Gosnell's Cashel Street flat, 28-year-old Gosnell assaulted Miles in three separate attacks after he told Gosnell he believed Vaux-Phillips was using him.
After the series of attacks Gosnell left the teen on a couch wrapped in a blanket and in the morning discovered he had died. A witness who saw the 15-year-old 's body described him as being unrecognisable as a male or female.
Gosnell dismembered Miles' body using a bread knife and a jigsaw and buried him in three separate locations including in two graves around Christchurch.
After more than three months of searching, police discovered Miles' body. During his seven-day trial Gosnell plead not guilty to murder despite already pleading guilty to the dismemberment.
At his sentencing on June 5 of this year Gosnell dismissed his lawyer, Craig Ruane, and opted to represent himself. He said at the time that he would seek an appeal and rejected any responsibility on his part for the boy's death.
"I take full responsibility for assaulting Hayden and for the act of dismemberment. I cannot however take responsibility for his death or his murder. Hayden's death is just as much of a tragedy to me as it is for anyone else," Gosnell said as he addressed the court.
No date has yet been set for his appeal.
3 News
source: newshub archive
