The man who tortured, killed and dismembered a Christchurch teenager a decade younger than himself will spend at least 18 years in jail.
But convicted murderer Gavin Gosnell, described as "pure evil", tried to have the final say at sentencing, sacking his lawyer and telling the court he'd appeal his conviction.
Gosnell had no one on his side at sentencing but himself. Those who'd sat through the horrific evidence at the week-long trial sat in stunned silence as he delivered a speech full of denial and self-justification.
"I'm nothing like what you've heard at the trial," said Gosnell. "I may have been a bad partner but that doesn't define who I am. I made a wrong decision that night and the following morning that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life."
Gosnell, 28, and a father of two, was convicted of murder and offering an indignity to a body.
The victim was 15-year-old Hayden Miles, who knew Gosnell's girlfriend. Gosnell brutally beat and tortured him, all because Hayden told Gosnell the girlfriend didn't like him.
Badly beaten, Hayden was left to die alone in Gosnell's seedy flat. Later, he dismembered the body and buried it in graveyards.
"I'm not a murderer, nor a person who wants to be," said Gosnell. "It was just as much a tragedy to me that morning as it was to you to hear he's dead."
Six victim impact statements from family members were read to the court. All spoke of the trauma the murder had caused them and how they would miss seeing Hayden grow up.
"I find it hard to describe how I feel about the animal that took my child's life in such a sick and evil way," said Hayden's mother, Jacqui Miles. "What right did you have to murder my beautiful Hayden?"
Justice Chisholm acknowledged the horrors the family had faced, then dealt with Gosnell.
"It is difficult to believe there are people amongst us capable of such a macabre and evil deed," he said. "In my view, this was extreme brutality repeated over and over. You set out to be cruel. You were attempting, on the evidence, to break limbs."
Outside court, Hayden's aunt and mother addressed journalists.
"We are really thankful the judge has given as much as he can, but we believe life should mean life in prison," said aunt Sandy Ward.
"They want to say finally getting justice has been a long, harrowing process," said Andrew Riches, a lawyer representing Hayden's father. "It is extremely difficult to deal with the disgusting facts of the trial."
Gosnell said he'll appeal. Before he does that he'll have to find himself a new lawyer.
3 News
source: newshub archive
