Convicted murderer loses appeal

Convicted killer Villiami Fungavaka has lost his appeal against a murder conviction after he ran over his partner twice.

A man who ran over his Far North partner twice, killing her, has lost his appeal against his murder conviction.

Villiami Fungavaka, then 47, was found guilty in the High Court at Whangarei in 2015 of the murder of Georgina Manuel, 28.

Fungavaka was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of at least 17 years, but the Court of Appealthis week rejected his appeal against conviction.

Fungavaka drove his vehicle over Ms Manuel twice in Kaitaia in August 2013. She died in hospital the next morning.

He had four grounds of appeal: late notice of detailed evidence from the pathologist as to the cause of death prejudiced him; that the Crown laid a single murder charge while he hit Ms Manuel twice and there was a risk he was convicted without the jury being in agreement that he had the requisite (murderous) intent at the time of the fatal impact; there was deficient interpretation of evidence as Fungavaka has poor English and that the judge incorrectly instructed the jury in relation to murderous intent.

However, the appeal judges, Justices Helen Winklemann, Peter Woodhouse and David Collins threw out the appeal, ruling that none of his grounds of appeal were valid.

During Fungavaka's sentencing members of Ms Manuel's family, including her daughter, mother, father and sister, spoke about their deep sense of loss and pain.

Fungavaka had shown no remorse for his actions, the family said, and had made it worse by not pleading guilty and making them sit through an 8 week long trial.

Sentencing judge Justice John Faire agreed Fungavaka had not shown remorse in any letter to the court or family.

Fungavaka's defence was that Ms Manuel had stepped out on the road and collided with the vehicle, and then Fungavaka had not seen her body as she lay in the poorly lit street the second time she was hit.