Prosecutor Brian Dickey said Filoa, 32, brought fake methamphetamine and a loaded, cut-down .22 semi-automatic rifle to the early morning drug deal. If the judge agreed the murder was the result of provocation or "excessive self-defence", there would be grounds to find a mandatory life sentence manifestly unjust, he argued. If the judge did impose a life sentence, Niven asked for a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, which would be the lowest allowed under the law. Prosecutors, however, disagreed that a sentence other than life was an option. Avoiding such a sentence would require "exceptional circumstance", and that doesn't match the facts of this case, Dickey said.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 27, 2022 03:31 UTC