By CLAIRE TREVETT
A man who murdered his stepson has been advised to be generous in settling his divorce to ameliorate the terms of his sentence.
Justice Robert Chambers adjourned the sentencing of Zhen Huan Li in the High Court at Auckland yesterday, because the reparation report did not provide details
of Li's financial capacity or how much he could pay to the victim as reparation.
Li has admitted the murder of 10-year-old Wonder and the attempted murder of his wife, Hua Dai, an academic working at Auckland University.
Li attacked them with a steel table leg in their Birkenhead apartment on September 4 last year. Wonder's life support was turned off after eight days in hospital and Ms Dai had brain surgery and lay in a coma for a month.
Justice Chambers said he was "firmly of the view that Mr Li should make reparation to the victim", but he could not gauge the level of that compensation without knowing Li's financial situation.
He said Ms Dai was trying to divorce Li and there would be matrimonial property issues to resolve.
"It would clearly be beneficial to Mr Li, as far as sentencing is concerned, if he was to be generous to his wife on any settlement reached in that regard."
Li would ultimately be sentenced to life imprisonment, but reparation would be taken into account when deciding matters such as the minimum non-parole period.
The judge ordered a full reparation report to be presented and for Li to make a declaration as to his financial position.
He said Li had been a high-ranked officer in the Chinese Army and could be receiving a pension. Li had a teenage son in China, and his financial declaration should include any maintenance payments he made.
Justice Chambers said that Li's financial declaration should be presented to the court by November 10, unless there were delays in getting the necessary information from China.
