Please attribute to Detective Inspector Dave De Lange:
Police acknowledge the sentence handed down to Jimmy Heremaia in the High Court at Napier today.
We are pleased to see justice done for Ariki’s family, who have been such fierce advocates for her since her death.
We know no sentence could ever make up for her loss, however we hope today’s result offers some comfort to them.
I would also like to acknowledge the investigation team, who put in many months of hard work to achieve this result.
This was a meticulous, difficult and complex investigation spanning multiple Police districts and requiring many specialist skillsets.
I thank you for your unwavering dedication to making an arrest and ensuring Ariki’s killer could be held to account.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre
Note to media:
Jimmy Heremaia was sentenced to life imprisonment, with 12 years non parole, for murder and arson.
Ropine Robin Paul was sentenced to 12 months of home detention for being a party to arson.