Victim’s father wants to meet 14-year-old suspect if he is convicted of killing traveller
Hearing set in New Zealand murder of Scots backpacker
Published:
A 14-year-old boy charged with the murder of Orkney backpacker Karen Aim could return to court in New Zealand in September.
The case was called in the Rotorua Youth Court yesterday.
The teenager from Auckland, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have attacked the 26-year-old as she walked home from a night out. He also faces charges of aggravated robbery and intentional damage at a local high school.
Judge Denise Clark set down the week-long “depositions hearing”, when witnesses’ evidence is handed over to the judge, for Taupo District Court starting on September 1.
The case will call again in the court on July 8 for the depositions hearing to be reviewed. The teenager's appearance was excused at that hearing.
The boy, whose appearance was also excused yesterday, remains in the custody of Child Youth and Family Department.
Last night, Miss Aim’s father, Brian, repeated that he would be keen to meet the boy, if he was found to be the guilty party, and ask him why he had done what he did.
He said: “At first I was not that bothered about attending the trial but, when I was told that it was up to the boy whether he spoke to me or not, I decided to try and make it over to New Zealand for the case so I could find out a wee bit more about what happened.
“It was thought the trial might be around August 2009, but they said they would try and bring it forward for us, but if a date is not set until this September, then it might be later rather than sooner.”
Mr Aim revealed that he underwent the stress of his daughter’s funeral knowing secretly that he had a shadow on one lung and fearing that it might be cancer.
But in March tests showed that he had a fungus infection and it is being treated with steroids.
Miss Aim was murdered while walking home after a night out with friends in Taupo, North Island, on January 17.
The traveller, who had been working in a glass-blowing gallery, died later in hospital.
Miss Aim was on her second visit to New Zealand after a three-month stay in 2006.
Around 300 people gathered near her home town of Holm, Orkney, for her funeral on January 29.
Following her death, Mr Aim said: “She put a ray of sunshine into every room she came into.”
