Liberty Templeman's Parents Speak Out.

 

Liberty's parents pictured at the murder scene, 2008

The Northern Advocate has picked up on an exclusive story that was published in the print version of the UK's Colchester Daily Gazette. In it Liberty Templeman's parents spoke about the trial in Kerikeri of Theo Kriel who was found guilty of the murder and indecent assault of their daughter.

According to the Advocate's version of the story Mr Templeman wants Kriel moved to an adult prison and says he has yet to feel the repercussions of his crimes:

"Andy Templeman, 49, told the UK-based Daily Gazette newspaper that Kriel should be in an adult prison rather than a secure youth detention facility.

"Apart from lack of freedom to walk down the street, there has been no repercussions to his actions for the last year and a bit.

"I want him to go to adult prison, and sooner rather than later. The thought of him having not quite the life of Reilly but having it fairly easy is absolutely abhorrent.

"However, I don't want to join those campaigning groups and have Liberty made into a celebrity campaign. This is between us and the courts or whoever."

Asked about his thoughts on the boy himself, Mr Templeman was dismissive. "I don't really have the head space to think about him," he said.

"There is too much going on to really start thinking about him and his family. I've been watching him and his family throughout the trial, just to see if there's any emotion over this from any of them, and there's absolutely none, just no emotion at all. 

 That last comment is quite significant, we are reminded of the mother of the 14 year old youth who battered Scottish Woman Karen Aim to death telling Karen's family "He's not putting us through shame. We are not ashamed." (source) The article continued:

"I think when the pathologist was talking there was some beginnings of emotion from his mum, but that was it."

He said Kriel's family had made no apology to him so far.

"Me and Rebecca have no desire to go and speak to them at all. If anything, it has to be the other way around," he said.

Looking ahead to next month's sentencing, he could say only that nothing would make up for the loss of his daughter.

"Whatever the sentence, for murder it's only something like a minimum 10 years. Whatever it is, it doesn't bring Liberty back. Whatever it is, it will never be enough."

It is stunning that Kriel has yet to show any remorse for his actions and appalling that the Templeman's were forced to endure the excuses and weak defence that were presented during the trial.

We've already commented that for murder to be proven so must intent and he’d already admitted to killing Libby. So we are left with the supposition that the trial was held because the only defence open to him was to try to show provocation. The jury didn’t buy it and decided that Kriel did intend to kill Libby Templeman. Why? we may never really know. I’m sure her family, who were forced to endure a trial and the glare of media publicity, would like that burning question answered too.

There are all sorts of rumours around as to the nature of Kriel’s personality, talk of him being bullied and of him keeping a scrap book about Libby. But, it’s just that – nothing more than rumours, maybe we will know more about him and his thought processes when mitigation and pre-sentencing reports are presented next month.

Some NZ newspapers also published today the image of Theo Kriel as he appeared just before Libby's murder in 2008 after clarification on the suppression order was given by the trial judge.

This blog will not be publishing out of date images of a child, when a more up-to-date image of Kriel is released we may.

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