Guilty plea little solace for mum

LIFE IN LIMBO: Karen Edwards is angry Jimmy Akuhata did not plead guilty to the murder of her daughter earlier.

A Northland mum has lived a nightmare and been in limbo for two years, eight months since her daughter was murdered. And the ripple effects will not end even when the man who killed her daughter is sentenced, she says.

In the High Court at Whangarei on Thursday, Jimmy Peter Akuhata, 31, pleaded guilty to murdering 21-year-old Ashlee Louise Anne Edwards, mother of his two daughters, on July 27, 2012.

Akuhata pushed Ms Edwards over a bridge in central Whangarei then grabbed her hair and held her beneath the water until she showed no signs of life.

Flanked by two security guards in the dock, Akuhata entered the guilty plea after the charge of murder was read to him.

Sitting in the public gallery, Karen Edwards, Ashlee's mother, said hearing those words was overwhelming.

"It was a shock to hear it. All along he could have done this but he waits till now," Mrs Edwards said.

"Our lives have been absolutely ripped apart ... absolutely ripped apart. "

She said the only relief was there was now a conviction and the family were not forced to sit through a five-week trial, scheduled for next month, where a jury may or may not have returned a guilty verdict.

"I'm also angry. It's like he's too gutless to face a trial. I don't think he wanted to expose himself and his family in court."

Mrs Edwards has custody of Ms Edwards' two girls, now 5 and 3, as well as caring for her own two young sons.

"It's been two years and eight months of nightmare. Our lives have been in limbo and they remain that way until he is sentenced."

Mrs Edwards wanted the court to impose a lengthy minimum parole period.

"So the girls are much older and can make their own decisions and so he doesn't get out early and influence them."

She said justice would not be done until Akuhata was sentenced. Even then the family would be faced with a lifetime of fallout from the tragedy as the two girls grew up.

In the police summary of facts, it was revealed Akuhata and Ms Edwards had been in an "on again, off again" relationship for about six years.

But when Akuhata murdered Ms Edwards, they were apart and there was a protection order in place for Ms Edwards and her two daughters.

On the night of July 26/27, 2012, Akuhata had two tickets for a promotional event at Malbas bar in Vine St, Whangarei, and invited Ms Edwards along.

During the night, Akuhata became angry with Ms Edwards and text messages she had received on her cellphone. CCTV footage showed Akuhata and Ms Edwards leaving the bar about 1.55am and then 15 minutes later at the Lower Tarewa Rd bridge. They were arguing when Akuhata lifted Ms Edwards up and over the railing into Waiarohia Stream.

Once in the stream there was a struggle until Akuhata grabbed Ms Edwards' hair and held her head under the water. Once she showed no signs of life, he went home where he told a family member Ms Edwards was dead. When Akuhata was found by police later the same day, he refused to comment.

The trial had been delayed as Akuhata was beaten while in prison during remand and received brain injuries. He was later deemed fit to stand trial. Justice Raynor Asher remanded Akuhata in custody for a pre-sentence report before sentencing on May 20.

Murder attracts a term of life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years, but judges can extend that non-parole period.