The Sheward case: a would-be killer in their midst

Last November 3, John Sheward placed six containers of diesel and petrol around his wife's bedroom as she slept, then splashed fuel around their Hastings house and lit it.

She escaped out the bedroom window.

On Friday, the 44-year-old son of a millionaire was sentenced to 10 years' jail for attempted murder and endangering the lives of his children. Justice John Wild said Sheward wanted to collect on his wife's $500,000 life-insurance policy.

The defence claimed that someone else lit the fire, possibly the couple's eldest son, then 12.

We cannot use his wife's real name so we will call her Jane.

She has always retained her maiden name which, along with the names of her four sons, aged from 3 to 13, is suppressed by High Court order.

Jane has kept to as normal a routine of school, sport and her work as possible.

"It's been one day at a time and for the younger boys, the fire was a long time ago."

The boys know Dad is in jail and that he tried to hurt Mum.

The three younger ones do not know about the fuel containers around her bedroom and the eldest one learned about it just days before he was called as a trial witness.

Jane says just knowing that she has to keep going for her sons and trying to reduce the harm their father has done them has focused her energies.

She has her theories as to why her husband tried to kill her but does not want to elaborate.

Immediately after the fire she received tremendous support from work colleagues, her family, the children's schools, the Havelock North Rotary Club and from friends and strangers.

"The house we live in now was furnished with donations."

That support continues, with a bunch of flowers and cosmetics from colleagues when she returned to work recently.

Jane hopes she never has to go through the legal processes again.

"On one level it was fascinating, but to be the person it was about was a nightmare."

The worst part was seeing her 13-year-old son in the witness box.

The boys have not been back to their home after the fire and did not know how much damage had been done.

The first her eldest son knew of the state of his bedroom was when he was shown police photos of it in court by defence lawyer Russell Fairbrother.

"It should never have happened like that."

Along with almost everyone in the High Court at Napier that day, Jane was struck by her son's control and calm in the witness box during almost two hours of questioning from Justice Wild, crown prosecutor Russell Collins and especially Mr Fairbrother.

"I expected him to be good, but not that good."

She noted how she was reported by a newspaper as sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Of course I was. Any mother would be, watching what he had to go through.

"It was all I could do to stay in my seat."

Jane says that although she is trying to keep things as normal as possible, she needs to acknowledge how the boys feel about losing the father they spent so much time with.

"He used to bake cakes with them."

Mostly the boys are taking it well but she has her worries about one of them.

"He's angry but he won't talk about it."

The fallout continues, even though her husband is beginning a 10-year jail term.

The boys have asked her for a photo of them with their father but she cannot find the family photo albums that were in a shed at their property.

She wonders if her now-estranged husband might have burned them in a vindictive outburst.

Although her father-in-law testified at the trial that Sheward had access to $500,000 from a family trust fund, she has seen none of it since the fire.

She has not heard from her parents-in-law at all and neither have her sons. But Sheward's sister has been "supportive and understanding."

Jane could really do with some help right now. The family were in dire financial straits before the fire and, although the ANZ Bank has written off the remainder of their debt, she is still counting the pennies.

Because the home she and the children owned in trust was burned down deliberately, the insurance company refuses to pay out. Jane says she cannot afford that and faces a court battle with them.

Sheward's many creditors could still want their money and she has none to spare.

She has also had a Family Court battle with her husband over access to the children. A judge will have the difficult decision on whether contact in a prison with the father who burned down their home with them in it and tried to kill their mother is in their best interests.

But until the matter is settled it is yet another worry for Jane.

She says she was struck by how little help is available for people in her situation.

Because she was not physically hurt, ACC will not pay for counselling. She does not have the money to pay for professional counselling.

Help for the boys is available through the courts but Jane does not think it is appropriate because it is targeted towards children who have witnessed domestic violence.

She says Victim Support, police and court staff were wonderful, but there was no one who could prepare her for each new step in the process.

With the sentencing of her husband, Jane says she can get on with her life.

"Now I have something to plan around."

- NZPA