Colleen Burrows murder: Siblings fight for justice four decades after tragedy
The siblings of Colleen Burrows, who was murdered in 1987, are continuing their fight for justice and systemic reform in the New Zealand legal system. They are challenging the precedent set by compensation payments made to the convicted murderer for his treatment in prison.
Why it matters
The case raises significant questions about victim rights, compensation policies, and the perceived fairness of the justice system in cases of violent crime.
Colleen Burrows was murdered in Napier in 1987. She was 16.
It’s been four decades since the murder of Napier teenager Colleen Burrows.
But her sister and brother say their fight for justice and closure is not over, despite exhausting all avenues in a complicated legal battle to be granted compensation from her convicted murderer Sam Te Hei.
Te Hei got $17,664 in compensation for maltreatment and abuse by Corrections Department officers during his 30 years in jail, of which 12 years were for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate. Te Hei’s settlement was from a Crown offer of more than $820,000 to settle the claims of 51 men subjected to prison practices breaching their human rights.
Tracey Peka, now 52, and Christopher Hawkins, 36, say their fight for their own compensation from him in return was never about money, and none has been paid to them.
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