Kiwi teen Mali Bennett-Smith jailed for stabbing, murdering sister in the UK

Kiwi Mali Bennett-Smith, 17, was sentenced to a minimum term of detention of 10 years and five months on Monday after pleading guilty to the murder of his sister. Photo / Avon and Somerset Police

A Kiwi teenager stabbed to death his older sister who had ADHD because she was “annoying”, the Telegraph reported.

Mali Bennett-Smith, 17, who now lives in the UK, was jailed for a minimum term of 10 years and five months after pleading guilty to her murder at Bristol Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard that his sister Luka, 19, had agreed to let him practise a headlock on her.

But instead of letting go when she tapped him, as he had done on previous occasions, he continued to hold her before stabbing her repeatedly on October 2024 at their home in St Andrews, Bristol.

He rang emergency services 20 minutes later, shortly before 6.30pm, and told them: “I stabbed my sister to death.”

The court heard that he told operators: “I hated her my whole life and I don’t know, I just didn’t want to ever see her again.”

Judge William Hart said: “It’s often said in courtrooms when a child has died ‘It must be every parent’s worst nightmare’.

“The horror of the loss of their daughter at the hands of the son they still love is beyond even the worst nightmares.”

NZ upbringing and college course

The court heard that Bennett-Smith grew up on a remote farm in New Zealand, where he was home-schooled, but after his parents divorced, he moved to the UK with his sister and mother with the aim of going to college to prepare to join the Army.

He later dropped out of his college course.

He and his sister were at home on their own when the killing took place.

Bennett-Smith later told police that his sister was “annoying” and he felt she bullied him.

He said: “After watching a video, I went downstairs to the lounge and I asked Luka if I could practise a headlock on her.

“She agreed, we have done this before and when she needed me to stop we had an agreement where she would tap me on the arm.

“On this occasion I had decided I was not going to stop, I wanted to kill her, I had enough with regards [to how] she had been treating me over the years and recently.”

‘Shocking and brutal’ killing

Sentencing him, the judge said: “The killing was shocking and brutal.

“It has deprived Luka of her life, your parents in effect of two of their children, and will deprive you of your liberty.”

He said the use of a knife, the fact Bennett-Smith “undoubtedly intended to kill” and the brutality were aggravating features.

Ray Tully KC, defending, said Bennett-Smith had severe dyslexia and dysgraphia and although he had an above-average IQ was found to have below-average “processing speed”.

He said: “Mali did not know how to manage his increasing feelings of frustration and resentment towards Luka.”

The judge lifted reporting restrictions on naming the defendant after an application by the PA news agency.

After the sentencing, Det Insp Nadine Partridge, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Our thoughts remain fully with Luka’s family at this difficult time. They continue to be updated and supported by specially trained family liaison officers.”