The father of convicted teenage murderer Haami Hanara has pleaded not guilty to hiding his son for five weeks after his crime.
Haami Hanara was 14 years old when he was found guilty of killing a homeless man. Photo: Pool photo
At the age of 14, Haami Hanara, was found guilty of stabbing Flaxmere rough sleeper Kelly Donner, 40, four times during a fight on 4 March 2018.
The teenager, who is now 15, is serving a life sentence for Mr Donner's murder.
His father, Witerangi Hanara, 43, pleaded not guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice. A trial has been set for the week of 8 April in Napier District Court.
During his trial in November, the court heard Haami Hanara was arrested 270 km from the crime scene, after being discovered by police on a rural property in Whanganui on 6 April.
In September, Witerangi Hanara, from Napier, was charged with trying to obstruct the course of justice by "arranging for his son, Haami, to be kept hidden from the police and misleading police as to Haami's true whereabouts," court documents show.
Detective Rhyan Honeyfield told the court during Haami Hanara's trial that he found the teenager in a shed in Whanganui on 6 April.
"I placed him under arrest for grievous bodily harm and that he may charged with murder. He said, 'Who me?' " Mr Honeyfield said.
If found guilty, Witerangi Hanara would face a maximum penalty of seven years in jail.
