Derek Round's killer tries to change guilty plea

New Zealander Michael Werahiko, 33, gave evidence in the Court of Appeal at Wellington that he assaulted Round, 77, but not to the point of death. Round had been helping Werahiko, who had just been released from prison.

Round, a Reuters staffer in Asia in the 1960s, was savagely beaten in his Whanganui home in May 2012. After his trial, Werahiko sacked his lawyers for advising him to plead guilty and offer no defence, saying he did not understand the implications of this.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a requirement that he serve at least 15 years before parole. 

Werahiko told the court Round was alive when he left his house, but found him dead when he went back nine hours later.

One of Werahiko's sacked lawyers told the court he thought it was impossible to defend the murder charge.

The court reserved its decision on Werahiko's appeal. ■