Teen appealing conviction over stabbing of of Enere McLaren-Taana
Photo:
RNZ / Tess Brunton
The teenager who killed a Dunedin high school student is appealing his conviction and sentence.
The now 14-year-old was found guilty of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana and
sentenced to three years and three months in prison
at the High Court in Dunedin last month.
He was granted permanent name suppression, but Justice Osborne declined to discharge him without conviction despite acknowledging he might get deported.
The Court of Appeal confirmed paperwork had been filed, but it could not share the grounds of the appeal.
During his sentencing, the judge told the defendant that aggravating factors included carrying and concealing a long knife, that McLaren-Taana was unarmed and there was nothing to suggest he was threatening the defendant's life.
Enere McLaren-Taana
Photo:
Facebook screenshot
He acknowledged Enere McLaren-Taana's family pain and grief after losing a "young man of great promise" who was loved.
After the sentencing, the victim's father said he didn't think the sentence was long enough.
John McLaren told the court in his victim impact statement that Enere's death was "soul-crushing", saying he would never forget seeing his son on a trolley at the hospital and hearing his mum scream.
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