Leigh Matthew Beer in court for sentencing. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
A Taranaki man, who set the flat he shared with his girlfriend on fire while she lay trapped under a mattress, has been jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years
21-year-old supermarket worker Emma Field died in the blaze.
Leigh Matthew Beer appeared for sentencing in the High Court at New Plymouth on Wednesday.
A jury found him guilty of murder, arson and assault with intent to injure in June.
Through his lawyer, Beer said he did not accept the jury's verdict and maintained his innocence, and therefore felt no remorse.
He was however grieving the loss of a much-loved partner.
In 2022, the 33-year-old used a butane lighter to set the mattress on fire after tipping over the bed Emma Field lay sleeping on.
She was alive but likely unconscious when the fire overcame her.
The mother of Field made a harrowing victim-impact statement.
Fighting back tears, Kylie Field told the court her child had been taken away too soon by someone she loved and trusted; and she was left asking why.
More to come...
