Warning: This article contains extremely distressing details that may disturb some people.
One of the two people accused of murdering Auckland teenager Dimetrius Pairama says she didn't kill the 17-year-old but was instead forced to watch her be tortured.
Ashley Winter and Kerry Te Amo are accused of kidnapping and murdering Pairama at an abandoned state house in Mangere, before dumping her body in a steel drum in July last year.
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In a police interview played to the court, Winter referred to Pairama as her sister.
"All I can say is she's my girl. She was like my sister. I've known her for a while."
Winter told the Detective she went back to a house in Mangere with a man and two other teens who turned on Pairama.
"I had to watch her, she's like my sister."
"They locked the door, and I had to watch her get tied up and tortured."
"They were beating her up. They beat her up so bad, they broke her ribs and broke her jaw. All I could do was stand there and watch it. I couldn't do anything."
Winter says she then saw the group burn the 17-year-old with a lighter and a spray can.
"There was three of them beating her up, and burning her, and I couldn't help her."
"They cut all her hair off. They shaved her hair. They pi**ed on undies, shoved it in her mouth with sticky tape on it"
Winter then told the Detective she was too scared to intervene.
"All I wanted to do was grab her and hug her, just tell her how sorry I was that they are doing this. I wish I could help, but I can't."
"She was screaming for help, and all I could do was stand there, cos I couldn't do anything, he was holding me back."
The court heard Winter then said it was the others who asked Pairama how she would like to die.
"They just tortured her, and tortured her, and asked her how she should end … they asked her how do you wanna end your life? Hang yourself, get stabbed up or get burnt in the house."
Winter then said she saw Pairama being hanged.
"She was standing on a chair, and he hit her around the throat."
"He [then] pulled the chair away, she was choking, and her eyes rolled to the top of her head, and she was choking."
"Her body was twitching and I tried to run away but I couldn't. I had to watch her die in front of me, and I tried, I tried to save her, they wouldn't let me."
Winter said Pairama then uttered her final words.
"She goes…. 'I'll always remember you, you're one of my best sisters' … and she goes 'I love you' .. and she goes 'I'll see you in heaven'."
During the police interview Winter would often stop for breaks, and dry-retched as she told the Detective her version of the story.
"It's gonna f***en haunt me for the rest of my life"
The court heard Winter describe Pairama as having a "beautiful nature", but when asked by the Detective what the 17-year-old's name was, she couldn't answer.
"I dunno her full name. I've always know her as Sis. Is it Anahera? I can't remember her name."
"I knew her as Anahera. Everyone had a name for her. I call her Sis or Anahera. She never told anyone what her real name was."
Winter says she saw the group take Pairama's body outside, when they were spotted by a neighbour.
"The lady next door is calling out because one of them opened the door. He said 'if you tell anyone I'm gonna kill you.' He threatened me, I was so scared that's why I didn't say anything."
But Winter's police interview has been directly contradicted by the Crown's key witness - one of the two teenagers who were also at the house during the attack.
The 15-year-old - who has name suppression - gave evidence earlier in the trial in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
She told the court that Winter was the ringleader in the attack, forced the group to beat Pairama up, and was the one who asked her how she wanted to die.
The trial continues.
Newshub.
