Youths admit killing taxi driver

Two youths have admitted murder and manslaughter charges between them over the death of a Christchurch taxi driver.

In the High Court at Christchurch today, Justice Lester Chisholm lifted name suppression on Shannon David Boyes-Warren, who has been under Youth Court jurisdiction.

Boyes-Warren pleaded guilty to assaulting the taxi driver, Abdulrahman Ikhtiari, with intent to rob him, and murdering him.

Randell Legion Wiremu Brown, now aged 20, admitted the assault with intent to rob, and a charge of manslaughter. The manslaughter charge alleges that he killed Mr Ikhtiari in the course of an unlawful act.

Mr Ikhtiari was a 39-year-old father of five, a refugee who had brought his family to New Zealand from Afghanistan.

The crown told the court that both had previous convictions but it did not seek preventive detention. Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said that about midnight on December 5, 2008, the youths were in the central city after drinking alcohol with associates at a Linwood address.

When they ran out of money, they took Mr Ikhtiari's taxi to go to Boyes-Warren's home in Linwood to get more. They then asked Mr Ikhtiari to drive them back to the city.

In Worcester Street, near the Barbadoes Street corner, Boyes-Warren asked the driver to stop.

He got out of the taxi, opened the driver's door, produced the knife, and demanded money, Mr Zarifeh said.

A struggle then began between Boyes-Warren and Mr Ikhtiari, while Brown reached over from the back seat and grabbed the driver around the head and chest, pinning him to the driver's seat.

During the struggle, Boyes-Warren held the knife to the driver's throat, inflicting two stab wounds, and also stabbed him three times in the leg and in the right hand.

Boyes-Warren then stabbed him in the left side of the chest, a wound that penetrated his heart.

The youths ran off in different directions while the driver tried to chase Boyes-Warren. He got as far as the middle of the road before returning to the taxi where he collapsed and died.

Boyes-Warren ran to a family member's address where he disposed of the knife. The pair walked the streets then met up again and returned to the city to continue drinking.