18 Dec 2013

Life sentence for journalist's murder

8:20 pm on 18 December 2013

A Whanganui man who murdered well-known retired journalist Derek Round has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 15 years.

The 77-year-old was found dead at his Whanganui home in May last year after what police said was an horrific attack.

Michael Werahiko appeared in the Whanganui High Court on Wednesday morning after earlier pleading guilty to the murder charge.

Mr Round's family say no admission of guilt or a conviction can make up for the void left by the murder.

In a statement, the family said the only solace is that police and their untiring work was able to give them some justice.