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.