Murder accused teen not going back to school, says Maharey

The teenager accused of murder after a man was badly beaten in an Auckland park and later died, will not go back to his school, says Education Minister Steve Maharey.

The 14-year-old is one of five people charged after the death of Thomas Martin, 37, who was beaten in the Maybury Reserve in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes early last month.

He died in hospital a few days later.

The accused boy and three others were on a joint charge of murder and have appeared in the Auckland Youth Court where the 14-year-old was bailed into the care of his parents on a 24-hour curfew.

The boy or the other four on joint murder charges cannot be named because they all appeared in the youth court.

Now the parents want him to return to his Auckland school which would mean a variation in his bail conditions.

However, Education Minister Steve Maharey said today the position was very clear.

"There are bail conditions which mean the child can't return to school," he said on Radio New Zealand today.

"The police are clear on that, they will enforce those bail conditions, the school is clear on that.

"They won't be returning the boy to school."

Mr Maharey said the boy was due to return to his Auckland school today after his suspension for another offence at the school was due to be lifted today.

"I suspect the parents have assumed they might return the boy to school because of that suspension being lifted, but they're under no illusion, the police have been very clear with them, that he's not coming back to school the bail conditions prevent him from doing so."

However, National's education spokesman, Bill English, said the boy could return to school if the bail conditions were changed.

He said the board of trustees was taking it seriously enough to have an emergency meeting.

"I think they should be given the reassurance by the ministry or the minister that this student won't be returning to school, that the appropriate place for him is where he is now, which I understand is supervised by his family or under the supervision of the youth justice system, not in a mainstream classroom," Mr English said on National Radio.

He said the country's schools managed difficult students every day "but this is just going too far."

Police said it was up to the school but was being dealt with by the school, the Ministry of Education and crown prosecutors.

The bail conditions would have to be changed by the Youth Court.

- NZPA