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Offender Database Stephen Smith

Stephen James Smith

Alias

.

Offences

Beat a 14 year old boy to death in Wellington in May 1999

Victims

Jeff Whittington

Offender Affiliations

Jason Meads

Gang affiliations

Skinheads

Age

Born 1972

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to "life" in December 1999
Eligible for parole May 2009

Background
Transcript of a TV3 News report here.
This article from the same site contains further data and a couple of Wellington newspaper reports.

Also from the excellent GayNZ.com hate crime archives here
The Queen v Jason Morris Meads and Stephen James Smith, 8 May 1999 (heard October 1999, District Court Wellington, November, December 1999 at the High Court, Wellington): Smith and Meads picked Jeff Whittington up outside the Shell petrol station in Vivian St, offered him a ride home, but drove him to Inverlochy Place. There they assaulted him by punching and kicking him, causing severe facial and head injuries, and abdominal injuries causing a perforated bowel. Boot marks were found on his skull after one of the defendants jumped on his head. Jeff later died in Wellington hospital of brain swelling and perforations to his bowel.

Smith and Meads then went to the Kensington Inn on Kensington Rd before going home. When they got home, they told one of the people there that they had "f***ed up a faggot and left him for dead". Meads also stated: "The faggot was bleeding out of places I have never seen before". Smith was laughing when this was said. The pathologist said that ther e were at least 6-8 blows but this was difficult to ascertain as they were superimposed. There were 5 clear blows to the top part of the head, as well as blows that caused injuries to the victim's nose, lips and cheek.

While the defence sought manslaughter verdicts, they were found guilty of murder and given the compulsory life sentence by Justice Wild. They appealed the verdict to the Court of Appeal, and in a judgment given on 20 April 2000, Goddard, speaking for himself, Eillis J, and Richardson P, dismissed the appeal. Ken Stone was the Crown Prosecutor, Mike Antunovic was counsel for Smith, and Bruce Davidson was counsel for Meads.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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