Liberty Templeman: murdered British schoolgirls parents grief as killer convicted

By Paul Chapman in Wellington Published: 11:00PM GMT 19 Feb 2010

The 15-year-old"s badly bruised, semi-naked body was found lying facedown in a stream in New Zealand in November 2008.

The jury of six men and six women at the High Court in Whangarei returned an 11-1 majority verdict on Friday after more than ten hours of deliberations.

The youth, Hermanus Theodorus Kriel, was also convicted of indecent assault.

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He was 14 at the time of the offences.

Justice Raynor Asher remanded him in custody for sentencing on March 26 and prohibited publication of any photograph of him until that date.

Liberty was originally from Brightlingsea, Essex.

The 15-year-old"s badly bruised, semi-naked body was found lying facedown in a stream in the northern town of Kerikeri in November 2008.

Speaking outside the court, Liberty"s father Andrew told of the anguish caused by her death and the court trial.

Mr Templeman said they were relieved by the verdict, but "We have questioned why we"ve had to go through this."

He broke down in tears as he remembered his bubbly, carefree daughter who loved the stage.

"Liberty gave so much to so many and wanted nothing in return.

"Her big heart, her warm smile, her personality will be missed by all who knew her," he said.

"We will somehow rebuild and get through this with the support of our son Billy, who has shown tremendous strength of character.

"We"re so proud of Liberty and Bill."

In a separate interview, his wife Rebecca told Television New Zealand: "You just get so consumed in sadness."

She said of her daughter"s killer: "Every time we think of Liberty, he"s always there. He took her life.

"Nobody has the right to take a life."

In emotional scenes after the jury delivered its verdicts, the couple were hugged by prosecution lawyers.

Liberty"s family and friends wore orange ribbons as they packed the public benches for the last day of the trial. Orange was her favourite colour.

Kriel"s family refused to speak to waiting reporters.

Earlier Mike Smith, the crown prosecutor, told the jury that the youth"s evidence was full of inconsistencies.

"Lies," Mr Smith said.

"A story that evolved and changes as the police zeroed in on who was with Liberty and what had happened to her. As the circumstances point towards him, different stories."

In evidence, the court heard that after leaving Liberty in the stream, Kriel had cycled home and spent the evening watching television and texting friends.

The programme he had been watching was called "Liar, Liar".

Mr Smith said that as part of his "trail of deceit", he had even taken part in a search for Liberty the following day.

Kriel claimed Liberty"s death had been an accident after they started fighting when they fell over in the stream.

Defending, Catherine Cull urged the jury to find him guilty of manslaughter, not murder.

"He was a 14-year-old in a panic. He did not want to get into trouble."

Mr and MrsTempleman emigrated with their two children from Brightlingsea in 2005.