‘Shame on you’, mother tells her daughter’s killer
The mother of a woman murdered at a West Auckland pamper party has told her daughter’s killer she should be ashamed of what she has done.
Anna Browne was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of friend Carly Stewart in 2016.
Browne was handed down the life sentence by Justice Edwin Wylie at the High Court in Auckland. He imposed a minimum nonparole period of 12 years.
Stewart’s mother, Charlene Stewart, read a statement to the court, describing how her grandsons had been severely impacted by their mother’s death.
‘‘Carly was [a] devoted, loving, kind mum to her boys.’’
At one point, Stewart turned to Browne and told her she should be ashamed.
‘‘Shame on you Anna Browne, how dare you murder our beautiful Carly ... clearly you knew what you were doing,’’ she said.
‘‘Once more, you made us all go through it again at trial. You are a murderer. Clearly you have a total disregard for other peoples lives.’’
Justice Wylie said Browne had a lengthy criminal record.
In 1995, Browne was charged in the youth court for attempted murder – a charge which was eventually downgraded to wounding with intent to injure.
In 2004, Browne was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm for a crime which involved a machete. While she was not the main perpetrator, she was used as a getaway driver.
A parole report from 2012 shows Browne was released after she was deemed safe to re-enter back into society.
‘‘We think that with appropriate conditions, she would not be an undue risk to the community,’’ the parole report read.
Horror party
The trial heard how the party turned sour when Browne became volatile and aggressive following a few hours of drinking.
Browne became involved in a brief altercation with Stewart, who she was friends with, moments before the fatal attack.
Following the tussle, Browne went into the kitchen and picked up a large knife. She approached Stewart, who was sitting down in the lounge, and plunged a large butcher’s knife into her neck.
The knife entered 11cm into Stewart’s neck, severing a main vein. She lost a large amount of blood and died shortly after paramedics arrived at the scene.
The court heard how Browne left the scene, only to return shortly afterwards to see if Stewart was OK.
It was the Crown’s case Browne had murderous intent when she stabbed Stewart, purposefully driving the knife into her neck to cause an injury incompatible with life.
The defence argued Browne accepted responsibility for the death, but there was no murderous intent.