Phillip Cottrell The man jailed for the manslaughter of gay Wellington journalist Phillip Cottrell has had his appeal against his sentence dismissed. Nicho Allan Waipuka was acquitted of Cottrell’s murder but convicted of his manslaughter, after an early-morning attack in Boulcott St. He was sentenced to 12 years and 10 months in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of eight years and six months. In Waipuka's appeal, it was argued that the 15-year starting point and a 12-month increase in the sentence for past offending were excessive. It was also argued that the non-parole period should have been at most half the original sentence. Three Court of Appeal judges have dismissed the appeal.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 26th December 2013 - 8:16am