A Coroner has made a swathe of recommendations demanding urgent changes to court processes following the death of North Shore teenager Christie Marceau in a bid to “reduce the chances” of similar “devastating” deaths in future.
It has been 10 years since Auckland teenager Christie Marceau was fatally stabbed in her family home and died in her mother Tracey's arms.
Christie, 18, woke on the morning of November 7 to her mother's screams.
A youth who had previously kidnapped and assaulted Christie had forced his wayinto the Marceau's Hillcrest home brandishing a knife.
She gathered her youngest daughter in her arms and begged the teen to hang on, told her help was on its way.
Christie took her last breath just moments before police converged on the house.
The youth who killed Christie was Akshay Anand Chand.
He attended the same primary school as Christie and the pair later worked together at a local supermarket - but they were never friends.
Chand was a tragic character and Christie pitied him.
In exchange for her generosity he became obsessed with her and several months before he killed her, lured her to his home where he threatened her with a knife and assaulted her.
He was arrested and charged and denied bail repeatedly.
But 32 days before Christie died a District Court judge agreed he could go home.
He ordered Chand to stay away from Christie and to stay at home 24/7 unless attending medical or legal appointments - and even then he had to have his mother or aunt with him.
The day he was bailed Chand decided to kill Christie for "reprisal" and started to plan his deadly attack.
She has become close to the Marceau family and been part of their journey to tell Christie's story and ensure her voice is heard and her legacy remembered.
In 2013 Leask and Tracey Marceau published a book together on the crime and case - Christie: a family's tragic loss and a mother's fight for justice.
The book was published by Penguin and can still be purchased online and as an e-book.
A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by Leask, senior crime reporter for the Herald.
The podcast is produced by the talented team at NZME Sound, Vision and Creative.
Leask has been covering crime and justice for the Herald for more than a decade and has reported on most of the major incidents and events over that time.
Christie Marceau was stabbed to death in 2011. Photo / Marceau family
"Each month I'll take you inside some of our most infamous incidents, notorious offenders and behind the scenes of high profile trials and events to show you what's really happening in your backyard," she said.
"Heroes and villains battle for justice to be done, and it seems no matter how horrifying the story, we always want to know more.
"If you want to know more about the cases that have shocked and shaped our nation - from murders and massacres to violent villains and the utterly unbelievable - join me for A Moment In Crime."
In our first episode, we looked back at the Christchurch terror attack - what unfolded on March 15 and how it changed New Zealand.
Tracey Marceau (right), and her daughter Heather holding Christie's ashes as they present a petition for stronger bail laws to Parliament. Photo / NZH
The podcast has also delved into the death of West Auckland toddler Aisling Symes, the cold case murder of Kayo Matsuzawa, the murder of Feilding farmer Scott Guy and double killer Jason Somerville, infamous for the Christchurch House of Horrors.
In 2017, Leask wrote and hosted Chasing Ghosts - a six-part podcast series on the Amber-Lee Cruickshank case.
The South Island toddler disappeared almost 27 years ago from a small town on the shore of Lake Wakatipu.
Despite exhaustive and repeated searches, there has never been any sign of the little girl.
To mark the 25th anniversary of Amber-Lee's disappearance, Leask investigated the famous cold case in a bid to generate some answers for the toddler's family.
