Kristin's link to Sophie's mum

Kristin Dunne-Powell (R) will meet Lesley Elliott (centre) on Wednesday when Clayton Weatherston (bottom) is sentenced for killing Sophie Elliott. Photos / Glenn Jeffrey, ODT, supplied

Kristin Dunne-Powell and the mother of Sophie Elliott plan to work together to raise young women's awareness of domestic violence.

Dunne-Powell - whose former partner, TV star Tony Veitch, pleaded guilty to injuring her with reckless disregard - will travel to Christchurch on Tuesday to be at the High Court for the sentencing of Sophie Elliott's killer, Clayton Weatherston.

She will meet Lesley Elliott for the first time in person, the latest step in a friendship arising from the court cases the pair have been involved in over the past six months.

Lesley Elliott said she and Dunne-Powell had spoken to each other and sent lengthy texts. She described Dunne-Powell as a kind-hearted, lovely woman who had been supporting her ahead of Weatherston's sentencing.

Elliott said Dunne-Powell had told her she could relate to Sophie's situation and the pair wanted to use their experiences and profiles to help other young women identify potential relationship problems early.

Elliott said Dunne-Powell had found it painful to discuss her relationship with Veitch. "It sounded pretty horrendous. I mean the physical scars ... but it's the emotional ones that don't [heal] ... I feel that too."

Dunne-Powell said yesterday she did not want to pretend her case was the same as Sophie's, but she said she related to the scrutiny of Sophie's character during Weatherston's trial.

"I have said this before - once you have opened your eyes to violence, you can't shut your eyes from it again," she said. "Sophie is one case. It starts with a bit of violence but it escalates to the point where someone is maimed for life, like I am, or dead. We have to stop it, nip it in the bud."

Elliott said she could relate to Dunne-Powell. "Kristin is a bit like me, really. You just have to take each day as it comes ... play it by ear and try and get our lives back together. She has obviously been through a pretty hard time.

"I am really looking forward to meeting her. It is really kind of her to come to Christchurch to support me."

Elliott said she and Dunne-Powell believed they could help young women by raising awareness of relationship troubles and issues.

"We have to let girls know what is acceptable behaviour, you know. I don't think you go out and say 'you have to do this, this and that'. What you can do is think about what is going on in your life and think about your relationship.

"The other day someone rang me to say they had been in an abusive relationship," she said. "When Sophie died, they realised they didn't have to put up with that so they found the courage to get out."

Dunne-Powell said she and Elliott had "really clicked - I hope it will be a lifelong friendship". The pair would meet again in Auckland on Thursday. Dunne-Powell has been working with the Roundtable on Violence Against Women group, which will be distributing information about domestic violence warning signs at Weatherston's sentencing.

Elliott said domestic violence transcended all class, colour and socio-economic groups. "People need to know it's not just your low-lifes ... violence crosses all boundaries. The worst cases are probably the middle classes because they want to keep it a secret. It is insidious."

Dunne-Powell said she and Elliott wanted to use the profile of their cases to help make society change.

"It so desperately needs to happen unless we want more lovely, gorgeous 22-year-old Sophies dead."

Elliott said she regularly visited her daughter's memorial at Otago University, and spent time in her bedroom. She expected the family would eventually sell their house, but they weren't emotionally ready.

She said the family wanted Weatherston - whom fellow inmates have nicknamed Chucky after the maniacal knife-wielding doll from the movie Child's Play - to get preventive detention, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

She earlier said: "If it's a good, long, non-parole period, maybe 20-plus years, I think we will probably be satisfied."

Meanwhile, TVNZ and the National Business Review are in a stoush over the business publication's recent reports on the Veitch saga. TVNZ says the reports are defamatory and it will take action, while NBR publisher Barry Colman said yesterday he stood behind the stories.

* Warning signs

The Roundtable on Violence Against Women says, on average, 14 New Zealand women are killed by their partners each year.

To coincide with the sentencing of Clayton Weatherston this week, the group is issuing a list of warning signs for young women. Many may be in a potentially abusive relationship without knowing it.

Warning signs include:

- Jealously and possessiveness

- Controlling behaviour

- Verbal abuse

- Threats to harm you, your family or your pet

- Isolation from friends and family

The group says parents should watch for emotional changes in their daughters, whether they are becoming isolated from their friends, and whether their boyfriends need constant communication.

Shine domestic violence helpline: 0508 384 357.