Memorial to Tanya Burr - Killed 15 September 2002

Teen killer sentenced to life: 22 August 2003

Teen killer sentenced to life

TV 1 News - Aug 22, 2003

A Rotorua teenager described by police as a furious and brutal killer has been jailed for life.

John Wharekura was 16-years-old when he stabbed pregnant woman Tanya Burr to death in her Rotorua home last year.

Judge Neazor took his age and guilty plea into account, before giving him a life-term with a minimum non-parole period of 14 years.

The victim's family and friends left the court house after the sentencing to lay flowers on her grave.

http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,215317-1-7,00.html

(Actually we went back to the motel to recover, and then the following morning we put one of the pair of fake lilies [brought from PN] that I had with me in the courtroom onto the memorial on the power pole outside the flat. Then late that afternoon when we got back to Palmerston North, I put the other one onto Tanya's grave.)

Life Sentence For Teen Murderer
23/08/2003 07:09 PM
Newstalk ZB News

The teenager who murdered Tanya Burr in Rotorua last year has received a life sentence.

Seventeen-year-old John Wharekura has received a minimum non-parole period of 14 years, after earlier pleading guilty to murdering the 21-year-old in her Hilda Street flat.

Justice Neazor took off three years for his plea of guilty.

Speaking outside the High Court in Rotorua, the dead woman's mother, Val Burr, said Wharekura did not deserve to have that three years taken off his sentence.

She says the pain of losing Tanya does not get any easier.

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3762-2606839,00.html

Killer given three years off for plea

25.08.2003
By JO-MARIE BROWN AND NZPA

The family of a murdered Rotorua woman are upset that her killer's sentence was cut by three years because he pleaded guilty before his trial.

Val Burr's 21-year-old daughter, Tanya, was stabbed 15 times with a carving knife last year when John Wharekura knocked on her front door and asked to borrow a pen and paper.

The 17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday when he appeared in the High Court at Rotorua.

But for Wharekura's early guilty plea, Justice Paul Neazor took three years off the mandatory 17 years' non-parole for home invasion-style murders.

Miss Burr's family and friends said Wharekura was not entitled to any credit, given the brutality of the unprovoked killing.

Val Burr had addressed Justice Neazor during sentencing and said the murder had caused her to lose concentration and her short-term memory.

Afterwards Mrs Burr said it was "dumb" that Wharekura was given three years off for pleading guilty.

She "firmly believed" she would never recover from losing her daughter so tragically.

"There will be no closure unless Tanya walks around the corner."

Sensible Sentencing Trust national spokesman Garth McVicar said he agreed that an incentive was needed to encourage people to plead guilty.

But he did not believe a 17-year non-parole period was a long enough starting point in Wharekura's case.

"If we're going to send a loud, clear message to these people that are committing these crimes we need a true life sentence for that type of offence. Then if the judge wants to give three years off I'd have no problem with that," Mr McVicar said.

The court heard that Wharekura's only motive for killing the pregnant woman was that he wanted to steal her car.

He went to her Hilda St block of flats on September 15 to take up a family friend's offer of living with them. The friends were not at home so Wharekura went back to his previous flat, which he had been asked to leave.

He armed himself with a carving knife and told his former flatmates that he intended to steal a car.

He went back to the Hilda St flats and knocked on Miss Burr's door, asking for pen and paper to leave his friends a note. Miss Burr agreed but was stabbed when she returned to the door.

Defence lawyer Harry Edward said Wharekura had an abusive upbringing in Whangarei and left school at the end of fourth form unable to read or write. He became a heavy drinker, cannabis smoker and methamphetamine user.

At age 15, he moved to Rotorua to find his biological father, who was in court on Friday to support his son but did not want to be named.

"I just wish I had more time with him. If anyone could get him out of [trouble] like that it would have been us."

He said his son had been doing well on a course in Rotorua but became involved with a bad crowd. "We want to apologise to the family but I don't know how to say it."

Sentence row

A 17-year-old who admitted a home invasion-style killing had three years cut from his mandatory term because of the guilty plea.

The sentence has deeply upset the family of victim Tanya Burr.

She was pregnant when she was slain.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=3519693

Father of murderer says he's sorry

stuff.co.nz/Bay of Plenty website - 25 August 2003

The Rotorua father of a teenager jailed for 14 years for murder says he is sorry for his son's actions.

John Wharekura, 17, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life imprisonment with 14 years' non-parole for stabbing Tanya Burr in Rotorua last year.

For his early guilty plea, he was discounted three years from the mandatory 17 years' non-parole term for home invasion-type murders.

The sentence was rubbished by Miss Burr's family and friends who said Mr Wharekura was not entitled to any credit, given the brutality of the unprovoked killing.

The High Court in Rotorua was told that Wharekura had an abusive upbringing in Whangarei and left school at the end of fourth form unable to read or write. He became a heavy drinker, cannabis smoker and methamphetamine user. At age 15, he left Whangarei to find his biological father in Rotorua.

His father, who did not wish to be named, was at court to support his son.

"I just wish I had more time with him. If anyone could get him out of... like that it would have been us," he said outside the courthouse.

He said his son had been doing well on a course in Rotorua but became involved with a bad crowd. The man said he wanted the Burr family to know he was sorry for what happened.

"We want to apologise to the family but I don't know how to say it."

The court was told Wharekura's only motive for killing the pregnant 21-year-old was that he wanted to steal her car.

He went to her Hilda St block of flats on September 15 to see friends he intended living with but they were out. Back at his old flat he armed himself with a carving knife, told flatmates he intended to steal a car and returned to Hilda St, going to Miss Burr's flat. He asked if she knew his friends, she said she did not and closed the door.

A short time later, he returned, asking for pen and paper to leave a note. When she returned with the items he stabbed her 15 times then rummaged through her personal belongings.

He stole cigarettes, cash, a camera and car keys and drove Miss Burr's car to his girlfriend's house at Reporoa, telling her he had "stabbed a chick" and killed her.

Crown prosecutor John McDonald said a 17-year non-parole term was appropriate given Wharekura killed Miss Burr in an unjustified and brutal attack in her own home. He described the subsequent theft of Miss Burr's belongings as "callous and cavalier".

Defence counsel Harry Edward said recognition must be given for his client's early guilty plea. He said his client was remorseful and, as a youth offender, had reduced culpability.

Justice Neazor said he did not think teenagers who committed serious offences such as murder should be given any special treatment, but said Wharekura would not be dealt with more harshly because of Miss Burr's pregnancy because he had not known. The only mitigating factor for Wharekura was his guilty plea, Justice Neazor said.

Miss Burr's mother, Val, addressed the court and cried as she recounted the last time she saw her daughter.

She said the murder had caused her to lose concentration and her short-term memory, making it difficult for her to carry out tasks.

Outside, she described the three-year sentence discount as "dumb".

She said she would never recover from losing her daughter so tragically.

"There will be no closure unless Tanya walks around the corner."

For the sentencing, the killer wore a yellow top of some sort. This follows from beige for the guilty plea and the same red and black jacket and same trousers for all the many appearances before that. Red symbolises the Mongrel Mob and its associated junior kiddy gang/s - and was the colour of the jacket and bandana he was wearing when he killed Tanya.