18yo sentenced to two years in prison over Countdown security guard death

Sydney Kokiri has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for the death of a security guard at Countdown Papakura.

The incident took place in May 2018. Security guard Goran Milosavljevic died in Middlemore Hospital, where he was taken after the incident as a result of his injuries.

He was assaulted and punched in the head.

Kokiri, who was 17 at the time, was arrested shortly after the incident and pleaded guilty to Milosavljevic's manslaughter.

He was sentenced on Wednesday.

The teen will be eligible to apply for home detention later on in his sentence if a suitable residence becomes available.

Milosavljevic had been working at Countdown Papakura for eight months at the time of his death. Countdown managing director Dave Chambers expressed his condolences at the time.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of one of our team. 

"The safety of our people and customers is our absolute priority, and no New Zealander should go to work and not expect to return home to their loved ones.

"Our focus right now is to support the family and our team in whatever way we can.  We've also made as much information and footage as we have available to the police and will continue to cooperate with their investigation."

Newshub.