Alana Jane Bamber has pleaded not guilty. Photo / Pool
A convicted murderer who plotted with her cousin to kill her estranged husband has been asked how she could deprive her own children of their father.
“A mother should have her children’s best interests at heart,” the father of slain dairy farmer Tony Waldron said as his two murderers were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Waldron, 29, was found dead at his Gardiners Rd, Rakaia, home, 45 minutes south of Christchurch, on September 18, 2019, after failing to show up for 5.30am milking.
Waldron’s wife Alana Jane Bamber, 35, and her cousin, Joshua Morris-Bamber, 28, were found guilty of the murder by a jury in October.
The Crown described the story leading up to the murder as complex.
Bamber was furious with her estranged husband, claiming he had been unfaithful with one of her bridesmaids and alleging he had “beat the s***” out of her days before the killing.
Morris-Bamber on the other hand wanted to release some anger following a failed relationship, and after being arguably egged on by his cousin to hurt her estranged husband, Waldron seemed a good fit.
At the Christchurch High Court today Waldron’s father had his victim impact statement read out.
“As a father, losing a child is a pain like no other.”
Waldron’s father Mark said he wakes up jolting from nightmares and is sometimes inconsolable. The death of his son has affected his mental health, business and other family relationships.
He is further pained by not being able to see his son as the Bamber family is still in possession of his ashes.
“It pains me to think that the children were not considered by Bamber, a mother should have her children’s best interests at heart.”
Waldron’s aunty said her world was tipped upside down on the morning back in September 2019 when they received the call that Tony had died, only to be met with overwhelming sorrow when it was revealed he was murdered.
The family couldn’t understand who would do this to such a loving man and felt that they couldn’t celebrate Tony’s life properly at his funeral as there was no closure around the circumstances of his death.
“To know now who was responsible for Tony’s death, someone who had so much hate in their heart to take away a father from their own children... is incomprehensible.”
Another aunty of Waldron said his death was the most distressing and heartbreaking thing that has ever happened to their whanau and she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy.
“You have taken away a loving father from his two girls, what gave you the right to do that? You stole Tony’s future and his daughter’s future with him.”
Bamber sat slouched in the dock with her head hung low and eyes closed while Morris-Bamber sat behind her showing no emotion.
On the night of September 17, city hotel chef Morris-Bamber went drinking after work and then visited Bamber at the Gloucester St, Christchurch flat she was staying at.
They chatted, the Crown said during the trial, for about 15 minutes.
Then, about 11pm, Morris-Bamber sent a Facebook message to Bamber, which was allegedly seen by a witness, and said: “What is Tony’s address? I need to get some anger out.”
The essential piece of evidence – that Morris-Bamber denies – was not able to be retrieved because both offenders deleted content from their phones.
Morris-Bamber’s brother Isak Morris-Bamber also set off in the night to stop him from hurting Waldron, but after his partner begged him to not get involved, Isak returned home.
Bamber also told Isak to leave his brother to it, adding “better one life than two”.
Morris-Bamber drove for about 45 minutes south on SH1 to Waldron’s farm, with cellphone data and CCTV from NZTA cameras plotting his movements.
His car was captured passing a golf course going in the direction of Gardiners Rd at 12.56am.
The same car is seen passing the same golf course again, heading back to Rakaia, at 1.04am.
With driving time, the Crown said Morris-Bamber had “at least four minutes” at Waldron’s house, which they say was “ample time” to go inside and fatally assault him while he was sleeping.
A post mortem examination suggests Waldron was struck by a solid weapon at least three times on the side of his head, ear and neck.
Waldron suffered a fractured skull – dislodging a 4cm x 2cm fragment of bone - along with other multiple cracks and a broken jaw.
Morris-Bamber left at speed stopping briefly to hide “forensically important items” like the murder weapon and bloodied clothing that he would later move again. They were never found.
Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae pushed for Morris-Bamber to receive a minimum period of imprisonment (MPI) of 18 to 19 years, which is the time he would need to serve before he can go before the parole board.
He said there was a lot of planning by Morris-Bamber to carry out the brutal murder as he asked for Waldron’s address before making a 45-minute drive out to his property, striking him repeatedly on the head as he slept.
McRae argued that Morris-Bamber’s previous conviction of rape showed he was devoid of empathy for his victim and argued this was relevant as it showed a trait in him that was “extremely concerning”.
As for Bamber, McRae pushed for an MPI of 13 to 14 years, stating that the murder would not have taken place if it weren’t for her.
McRae said there was “nothing tangible” to show Bamber’s remorse as no letter of apology had been written.
McRae went on to say the fact that Waldron’s ashes remain in the Bamber family’s control which has impacted the victim’s family’s grief should also be taken into account.
Anne Stevens KC for Morris-Bamber said this was not one of the worst cases of murder and Morris-Bamber killing Waldron in his sleep could be seen as “merciful” compared to other cases where the victim would beg for their life.
She went on to say “this is a family that sticks together” and Morris-Bamber was “driven by family relations”.
Stevens said this was also not a “cruel murder completed on a complete stranger”, stating Waldron and Morris-Bamber grew up in the same village.
Kerry Cook for Bamber said that “none of them thought there was going to be a death that night.”
Cook said while he accepts that Bamber sent Morris-Bamber her estranged husband’s address twice, this was not causative of the death.
He disputed the Crown’s argument that Bamber stopped Morris-Bamber’s brother, Isak from intervening by texting him to stay away as Isak’s partner had already done so beforehand.
Justice Gerald Nation said Morris-Bamber had latched onto Bamber’s anger toward her husband and the murder was carried out on a defenceless man who was sleeping.
He said the way Morris-Bamber murdered Waldron was “brutally simple” yet, there was still some degree of planning as he disposed of items connecting him to the murder and urged others to delete messages that could trace back to his involvement.
Justice Nation said Waldron and Bamber’s two children will need support as they now have to grow up without both parents.
He said reports provided to the courts revealed Bamber was tearful when discussing her relationship with Waldron and described him as her “best friend”.
Justice Nation sentenced Morris-Bamber to life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 16 years.
He sentenced Bamber to life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 13 years.
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