Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Lawyers for a man who murdered an unarmed police officer is fighting in court to reduce his jail term, arguing it is far too harsh.
Eli Epiha was sentenced to life in prison last December for shooting and killing Matthew Hunt with a semi-automatic rifle on a west Auckland street in June 2020.
Epiha's sentence included a minimum non-parole period of 27 years, making it one of the longest jail sentences in New Zealand history.
Today his lawyer Mark Edgar told the Court of Appeal Epiha did not wake up planning to kill anyone.
He contrasted it with the case of Russell Tully, who got the same term for his premeditated shooting and killing two Ashburton Work and Income workers in 2014.
Edgar described the sentence as one of "no hope", and said there was little talk of rehabilitation.
But Crown lawyer Brian Dickey said Epiha's sentence was rightly a long one.
He said Epiha made a "determined effort to kill police officers" with no motive, and had very little prospect of rehabilitation.
Dickey said it was also important to consider Epiha's risk to public safety.
The Justices reserved their decision and would release it later in writing.
Speaking outside the court, Hunt's family said they thought the original sentence was a just one, and while they expected the appeal, it was difficult to hear the details rehashed in court again.
