By Jerram Watts and James Murray
Convicted murderer Tony Worrell has been sentenced to 14 years non parole for the murder of Katie Powles in June 2008.
Worrell's lawyer Matthew Goodwin says he will appeal the decision.
Justice Pamela Andrews sentenced Worrell to 7 years for the grievous bodily harm charge and 18 months for each attempted intentional damage charge.
All will be served concurrently.
In sentencing Justice Andrews spoke of Worrell's 14 convictions in two years since arriving in New Zealand from Australia.
He had convictions for resisting police, male assaults female, assaulting police and driving with excess breath alcohol.
Justice Andrews said Worrell's actions had "devastating and profound consequences for those involved.
A victim of Worrell's, Brett Robinson, 43, read a victim's impact statement at today's sentencing.
"He was not forced to drive into my car and cause the damage to my family and myself but he chose to.
"He was not forced to drive into Katie's car and kill her, but he chose
to.
"The choices he made were his, and his alone.
"This individual is selfish and self centred, he has done nothing but
take from the community.
"What he has done cannot be undone."
Crown prosecutor Kieran Raftery talked about a man who was “entirely self-centred”, who had struggled with alcohol and the abuse of medication for his diabetes.
"Mr Worrell could have driven into a lamp post, he could have driven off a cliff, he could have done any number of things which would not cause harm to anyone else."
Worrell was found guilty on November 6, 2009 of murdering newlywed Katie Powles and injuring another driver.
The 50-year-old West Aucklander was accused of deliberately crashing his car into other vehicles at speed; he faced charges of murder, causing grievous bodily harm and attempted intentional damage.
Katie Powles, 26, died when Worrell’s car struck her vehicle in Karaka, south of Auckland, on June 3, 2008.
Ms Powles had been married just four months before the incident.
Another man, Brett Robinson, was seriously injured.
Investigators told the jury there was no way for Ms Powles to avoid Worrell’s car, which was travelling at speeds between 80 and 100km/h at impact.
The jury heard that Worrell did not attempt to brake before the collision.
Worrell pleaded not guilty to the charges, and broke down in court when the jury, which took more than a day to deliberate and still could be unanimous, returned with a guilty verdict.
He shook his head and sobbed uncontrollably when the jury found he was a murderer.
Worrell’s lawyer Matthew Goodwin said after the trial his client was sorry for the suffering he caused, and could not remember the events that unfolded on June 3.
Prison staff closely monitored Worrell’s mental state as there were fears he may have attempted to take his own life.
Dr Martin Wolley helped treat Worrell when he was hospitalised four days before the crashes for combining alcohol and sedatives.
Worrell was assessed but not found to be suicidal; he was, however, suffering from very low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycaemia.
"People at that stage can get irritable, drowsy, a bit like they are intoxicated," says Dr Wolley.
But under cross-examination, the doctor said Worrell was highly unlikely to have been suffering from hypoglycaemia when he crashed.
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