Karen Aim Murder - A Change of Plea and a Father's Unanswered Questions

Jahche Broughton (15) who had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Scottish woman Karen Aim has taken on a new lawyer and has asked to change his plea before sentencing is given out.

According to Stuff.co.nz

"Legal experts say Broughton's young age he was 14 at the time of the killing could be used as a factor in his plea change application, in that he may not have understood the nature of the charge or a possible defence."

Karen's parents are said to be disappointed with the change but Mr Aim still has unanswered questions regarding events surrounding the death of his daughter.

Broughton was said to have been vandalising a school on the night of the murder. A baseball bat used to batter Karen had also been used to smash windows at the school . However, Karen's body was found just metres from her home, well away from the school.

Broughton was said to have hidden the bat at his home and showed it to his mate Leigh Herewini.

Herewini is the 34-year-old security guard who responded to an alarm at the school on the night of the assault.

In a court hearing in Sept of last year Herewini gave evidence that

"the accused had shown him the baseball bat when he had gone to his house about two or three days after Ms Aim was killed.

"It had a lot of dents and bitsmissing off it," Mr Herewini said. "It looked like it had blood on it."

He said the accused had called him on the day Ms Aim was killed and told him he knew who was responsible for the murder.

"He said it was a guy Bryan, a Mongrel Mob prospect from Rotorua."

The accused allegedly said Bryan had hit Ms Aim over the head with a baseball bat and was planning on throwing her into the Waikato River "but there was too much traffic around so he left".

Previous Karen Aim articles: Link

Karen Aim's Murderer Pleads Guilty.

Link: Karen Aim

Scottish woman Karen Aim was brutally murdered as she walked home alone one night in January last year.

The murder, which happened in Taupo in NZ's North Island, shocked not just the residents of the small town but people all over the world.

The incident received international press coverage and brought into sharp focus the problem of violent crime in the country. People questioned New Zealand's reputation as a safe place in which to live and visit.

Today Karen's 15 year old killer Jahche Te Manawa Kaha Brougton pleaded guilty and spared her family the ordeal of sitting through what was likely to be a long court case.

He also pleaded guilty to one count wounding with intent to cause causing grievous bodily harm to another woman, aged 17, in Taupo on January 5 last year.

Sentencing will be carried out on 6th March.

News Story: Sky News UK

Karen Aim Trial

Security guard says teen defendant showed him bloody bat
Source: NZHerald 3 Sept, 2008

"The teenager accused of murdering Scottish tourist Karen Aim allegedly hid the baseball bat he used to kill her under his house and then showed the bloodstained, dented object to a man he knew.

Leigh Herewini, a 34-year-old security guard, said he felt "uncomfortable" when he saw the bat because "it could've been the bat that hurt the girl".

Mr Herewini was testifying at the second day of a depositions hearing at the Taupo Youth Court yesterday.

The accused, who was 14 when he allegedly murdered Ms Aim in January, stared at Mr Herewini while he gave evidence.

But Mr Herewini avoided his gaze and told the court the accused had shown him the baseball bat when he had gone to his house about two or three days after Ms Aim was killed.

"It had a lot of dents and bitsmissing off it," Mr Herewini said. "It looked like it had blood on it."

He said the accused had called him on the day Ms Aim was killed and told him he knew who was responsible for the murder.

"He said it was a guy Bryan, a Mongrel Mob prospect from Rotorua."

Karen Aim Murder Case Comes to Trial

The trial began today of the youth accused of the murder of Scottish tourist Karen Aim.
It was a shocking crime that sickened many people in both New Zealand and the rest of the world. The trial will probably be the focus of a lot of media attention in the coming weeks and over a hundred witnesses will be called.

My thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time.


Accused Tries to Pin Blame on Friend
Source: NZ Herald, Tuesday September 02, 2008

The 15-year-old boy accused of murdering Scottish tourist Karen Aim allegedly lied that another person had killed her but was arrested after her camera, handbag and a baseball bat with her blood on it were found at his house.

The teenager, who was 14 when Ms Aim was murdered in Taupo in January, allegedly said that a friend called Bryan killed the 26-year-old and planned to dispose of her body in the Waikato River when he was disturbed.

The accused, who cannot be named because of his age, allegedly showed a baseball bat to a man he knew and said he had obtained it from Bryan.

The man is appearing as a witness at a depositions hearing for the defendant and is expected to testify today that he was disturbed by blood he saw on the bat.

The depositions hearing began yesterday in the Taupo Youth Court.