Source: Radio New Zealand
Kael Leona at an earlier appearance. RNZ / Lucy Xia
A man has admitted to murdering a woman on an Auckland bus two years ago.
Bernice Louise Marychurch was killed in October 2024 while on the Number 74 bus in Onehunga.
There were nine other passengers onboard.
The man charged with her murder, 38-year-old Kael Leona, handed himself in to police shortly after.
He had previously pleaded not guilty on grounds of insanity but at a hearing at the High Court in Auckland this morning, Leona pleaded guilty to murder and strangulation.
He was expected to go to trial in March.
Bernice Louise Marychurch. Facebook
Marychurch’s murder prompted a number of calls for more security aboard busses.
Auckland’s deputy mayor Desley Simpson hoped they would consider safety officers, while more police were allocated for public transport in the wake of the fatal stabbing.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown had said he would look into whether the Sentencing Amendment Bill should expand aggravating factors to all public transport users.
“An expansion could include making offences against all public transport users an aggravating factor, ensuring greater protection for those who rely on buses, trains, and ferries,” he said.
“The Bill already provides for a new aggravating factor for offences against public transport workers.
“This is about making sure that public transport remains safe for everyone, whether you are a worker or a passenger. It sends a clear message that violence and abuse in these spaces will not be tolerated.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell had condemned the attack, calling it senseless and horrific, adding that peopled deserve to safe on buses, trains and ferries.
Meanwhile, Bus and Coach Association chief executive Delaney Myers told Morning Report there needed to be more people around and on buses to act as a deterrent for bad behaviour and to give people additional confidence using public transport.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
