Justice system last resort for parents of murdered teenager

The parents of slain teenager Liam Ashley say they turned to the New Zealand justice system as a last resort, not a first resort, to bring their delinquent son into line.

Five days after Ashley was allegedly beaten and apparently strangled in the back of a prison van enroute from court to the Auckland Central Remand Prison at Mt Eden, his family said they are trying to rationalise how his violent death occurred.

Ashley, a remand prisoner, was found unconscious when the Chubb prison van arrived at the prison.

He was rushed to hospital but died the next day when his parents allowed a life support system to be turned off.

Ashley's parents, Ian and Lorraine Ashley, decided to press criminal charges against their son after he took his mother's vehicle without permission in a bid to stop him getting into more serious trouble after a series of "minor misdemeanours".

Ashley was offered bail at his court hearing on Thursday but the family said they decided that the best course of action was to entrust Liam to the New Zealand justice system and let him experience first-hand the serious effects of breaking the law as an adult .

Ashley's uncle Brett Ashley read a statement outside his home on the North Shore today and said his nephew had recently started to have some minor trouble.

"As a result of a series of events his parents felt the safest place for Liam was in the care of the New Zealand justice system, this was the last resort, not the first resort."

Mr Ashley said the family were "deeply shocked and utterly devastated by what has happened".

He said he wanted to make it clear to the public that the Ashley family was respectable, loving and caring.

Liam Ashley was the youngest of four. A second uncle, Peter Ashley, held up a recent family portrait.

"He was just 17 and still considered the baby of the family," Mr Ashley said.

"He was gentle and kind, always a challenge, full of life and energy and just wanted to have plenty of fun and excitement.

"He idolised his father and wanted more than anything to be with his family."

Ashley worked as a car cleaner at Milano International, a car importing company run by his father.

Mr Ashley said the family's immediate concern was to work with the police to ensure justice was served for his nephew and that this cannot be allowed to happen to anyone else.

Earlier today, police announced a 25-year-old North Shore man had been charged with Ashley's murder and he will appear in Auckland District Court tomorrow.

Neither uncles were aware the man had been charged.

Peter Ashley said until he had learnt the full details he was unsure how it made him feel.

Officer in charge Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Cramer said a number of inquiries were still to be carried out.

"The investigation is ongoing but I'm confident that, at this point, it's unlikely any other criminal charges will be laid in relation to Liam's death," Mr Cramer said.

Ashley was locked into one of four compartments in the back of the van with two others, one classified as a dangerous criminal, for the trip from North Shore District Court to Mt Eden.

As well as the police investigation the prison inspectorate will look into how the death occurred.

Chief Ombudsman John Belgrave said today his office would monitor the prison inspectorate investigation as it was required to do under the law.

It would also conduct its own investigation into the Department of Corrections' current practices and procedures regarding the transport of prisoners.

A spokeswoman for Chubb Security, who was contracted by the Department of Corrections to transport the prisoners, said the company had an agreement with Corrections not to disclose its set of procedures regarding transportation of remand prisoners.

She said Corrections would be able to provide the information, but they were unavailable.

Prime Minister Helen Clark described Ashley's death as "an extremely shocking event".

She said there would be inquiries by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Ombudsman, and in due course there would be a coroner's inquiry.

"We need a good, hard look at what level of security has been provided by Chubb, and whether it meets the criteria of the Department of Corrections," she said.

"It was totally unacceptable for someone to be killed in the back of a security van...I think what the inquiry needs to look at is whether there were any special circumstances which led to this, or whether there was a bigger systems problem."

Asked at her post-cabinet press conference whether she thought anyone was to blame, Miss Clark said that ultimately the Corrections Department was responsible for letting a contract to Chubb, and Chubb was responsible for meeting that contract and for providing secure transport for prisoners.

She said the security firm had held the contract since 1998.

- NZPA