A former Palmerston North soldier has been jailed for three years for the manslaughter of three-year-old Anahera Ross Lewis.
Warwick Whare Reuben Kershaw, 25, appeared before Justice Eddie Durie at a packed High Court sitting in Palmerston North yesterday.
Anahera died in Wellington Hospital on June 6, nine days after being admitted to Palmerston North Hospital with head injuries.
The court was told Kershaw had been babysitting Anahera and his biological son one evening in late May.
A combination of factors including the impending loss of his Army job, the stress of looking after the children and tensions in his relationship with Anahera's mother had caused him to snap.
Justice Durie described the death as a "great tragedy" for all concerned.
He told Kershaw pre-sentence reports showed he was "plainly consumed by ... remorse".
- NZPA
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