By Michael Morrah
Two teenage girls have been jailed for a beating an elderly man to death, but the judge also threw the book at their parents.
Courtney Churchward and Lori-lea Te Wini were given 17 years minimum for the murder of retired schoolteacher, John Rowe.
However, the judge described the killers as victims too because of the way their parents treated them.
The judge's criticism of the girls' families and childhood was so fierce that 3 News went to the tiny community of Opotiki to find out how it was reacting.
A simple flat in the coastal township of Opotiki was to be the place of John Rowe's retirement.
Less than 10,000 people live there and a murder, let alone one committed by two teenagers on an elderly man, rocked the community.
“Words can't just describe what I saw with poor old John lying on that bed with his body just smashed to pieces,” says Mr Rowe’s neighbour, Ted Gibson.
Mr Gibson found Mr Rowe's body and says the teenagers deserve their respective life sentences, but agrees their parents must also take some responsibility.
“If we haven't got control of the kids right from day one, we can't pass the responsibility over to the caregiver, or the kindergarten, or the school,” continues Mr Gibson. “Their life is formed through that initial period of time - through parental control.”
Both teenagers dropped out of school at an early age.
Their former teacher says they were initially promising students.
“They were quite matatou. They were pretty on to it when it came to school work,” says Rtuh Pirini-Hape. “I guess that goes to show there was a pattern that started from there.”
But social workers in Opotiki say family issues are no more prevalent in their community than in others around the country.
“In this instance with the two young girls, perhaps if the family had engaged a lot earlier there could have been a lot more done for them,” says project manager, Mandy Walker.
However, as for the judge's comments that jail was better for them than their families had been, Ms Walker thinks that is a bit too harsh.
“I'm sure that in the case of the youngest one, her mum tried the best that she could as a single mum,” says Ms Walker.
She believes the girls needed more support from extended whanau, but that all parents need to act as role models to ensure their children have direction.
3 News