Life sentence for child killer
Hunter’s family: ‘‘We still wait for an explanation as to what happened and why.’’
‘‘Why, why, why and for what.’’
That was the burning question from the grandfather of murdered nine-year-old Otautau child Hunter MacIntosh at the sentencing of his killer Daniel Alan Cameron, 16, in the Invercargill High Court yesterday.
The reason Cameron, aged 15 at the time of the offending on October 30 last year, killed Hunter while he was babysitting may never be fully explained.
Justice Rachel Dunningham sentenced Cameron to life imprisonment with a minimum of 11 years.
Psychiatric and psychological reports have revealed little.
During sentencing Justice Dunningham said the nearest the court had to an explanation was a report in which Cameron said Hunter had been ‘‘really annoying’’ the evening of his death.
Dunningham said Hunter, who the court heard had liked Cameron, had a device like an air horn which made a really loud sound. ‘‘He kept making loud sounds with this device and would not stop when you asked him to,’’ Dunningham said.
‘‘If this is indeed the motive for murder it suggests you have a very significant issue with anger management which must be addressed before you can ever be considered for parole.’’
His personality could be characterised as having mildly autistic traits, Dunningham said.
Cameron’s defence lawyer, Bill Dawkins, said he didn’t have an answer as to why Cameron did the unthinkable and killed Hunter.
Cameron was sorry, he said. But Dunningham said she saw no real evidence of remorse.
Dunningham said Cameron did not suffer from any recognised mental health issues, and his background was relatively untroubled.
Hunter’s family called his killing a ‘‘senseless act’’.
‘‘We still wait for an explanation as to what happened and why,’’ they said in a statement released after Cameron’s sentencing.
On the night of the murder, Hunter’s mother, Amy King, step-father, Hayden Morris, and Cameron’s mother, were at a local pub playing pool.
About 10.30pm they returned home and Hunter’s mother found him lying on his back on the floor at the foot of his bed. He had been stabbed several times.
In her emotional victim impact statement read to the court, Hunter’s mother Amy said ‘‘[Cameron] chose to strangle and stab my poor defenceless little boy.
‘‘My reality is I barely function. The feeling of loss are so strong I wonder how I can keep living.
‘‘He was my life, my world, my reason for living. He was the other half of me.’’
She said she trusted Cameron and she would never forgive herself. ‘‘I have to live that forever.
‘‘Today’s sentencing is another small step on a very long journey for us and no punishment administered by the justice system will ever allow us to see Hunter’s beautiful smile again, nor does it dull the extreme pain we all feel every day.’’
Hunter’s father, Ryan MacIntosh, said: ‘‘Hunter’s life was so special to all of our wha¯ nau and it’s affected so many people out there.
‘‘I’m proud of the effort everyone put in to help shape my pride and joy. He will be in a good place smiling.’’