A "battered" man who shot and killed his son at a northern Hawke's Bay farm has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars.
Dean Cole, 63, pleaded guilty in Wellington in February but was sentenced in the High Court at Gisborne on Tuesday for murdering his son Blair.
The 42-year-old was shot at his father's Mohaka property in October, after living with him for two months.
On the morning of the shooting, Dean Cole had shot his son from the doorway, after retrieving a gun he kept in the shed.
Cole's lawyer Susan Hughes, QC, says Blair Cole had often threatened to kill his father and abused him in the months leading up to his murder.
The two were said to have a volatile relationship and both suffered from mental health issues, which made the 63-year-old a "battered defendant".
Justice Helen Cull said the mounting abuse and threats may have contributed to the murder, and this, alongside his poor mental health meant a life sentence would be unjust.
Newshub.
