Murdered tourist's father says 'it doesn't seem real'

Karen Aim with (L-R) brother Alan, mother Peggy and father Brian. Photo / Supplied

Brian Aim says there has been no worse moment in his life than when police arrived on his doorstep in the middle of the night and told him his daughter had been murdered.

"Nothing could shock me more than that," Mr Aim said yesterday, shortly after listening to 15-year-old Jahche Broughton admit to killing his daughter Karen Aim in Taupo on January 17 last year.

Broughton was due to stand trial in Rotorua next week but pleaded guilty to the murder at a pretrial hearing in the High Court at Auckland. He also pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to another female less than two weeks before he killed Ms Aim.

Mr Aim, his wife, Peggy, and son Alan listened as grim details of Ms Aim's last moments alive were read to the court yesterday.

She had been repeatedly bashed with a baseball bat, knocking her to the ground - with one very heavy blow struck while her head rested on the concrete. The blows caused massive brain injuries and she died soon after.

The disturbing facts of the case were not news to the Aims, who had been kept informed by police.

"It is beyond what good human beings can accept that anyone could do such an act. For that first week it was like being in a film on television that you couldn't change channels. It was like that today - it doesn't seem real."

Mr Aim said he believed the guilty plea, immediately before a trial was due to begin, was "unusual" but it had spared his family the ordeal of a trial.

His daughter's death had not changed his views on New Zealand. He first came with his grandfather 34 years ago and then visited with Peggy 14 years ago for his cousin's wedding.

"I have nothing but praise for New Zealand, it's a beautiful country. The people are friendly and terrible acts of violence happen all over the world."

He said the family had visited Taupo and laid flowers at the murder scene.