Teen's guilty plea to killing Scottish tourist to stand

Jahche Broughton. Photo / Alan Gibson

The sentencing of a teenager for the murder of Scottish tourist Karen Aim will go ahead later this month.

Jahche Broughton, 15, was to have been sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua this Friday but it was called off amid reports that his new lawyer Chris Wilkinson-Smith intended to attempt to withdraw his guilty plea.

But Mr Wilkinson-Smith told TV3 News tonight that Broughton's guilty plea stood and he would now be sentenced on March 26.

Broughton pleaded guilty at a pre-trial hearing in Auckland last month to murdering Miss Aim, 27.

He was only 14 when he bashed Ms Aim in a Taupo street on January 17 last year.

She was found by police after they were called to investigate a vandalism spree at Taupo Nui a Tia College on January 17.

She was taken to Taupo Hospital but died a short time later.

Broughton also pleaded guilty to injuring a 17-year-old woman with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in a separate incident a fortnight earlier.

The announcement will come as a big relief to Ms Aim's parents Brian and Peggy Aim whose main purpose for being in New Zealand was to see her case resolved.

They are due to return home to Scotland the day after the rescheduled sentencing.

- NZPA