An Auckland man has appeared in court for allegedly injuring a High Court judge.

James Lawrence Beaumont Gilliland has been charged with injuring a woman "with reckless disregard for the safety of others".

The alleged victim is Justice Mary Peters, who is a judge at the High Court in Auckland.

A man who brutally beat his 69-year-old neighbour to death and then, as she lay dying and unresponsive, sexually assaulted her twice, has been unsuccessful in his bid to appeal his sentence.

A man who admitted burning evidence in an incinerator to help his murder-accused brother in-law "got lucky" when his conviction was quashed today after a jury found there was legally no murder, says a law professor.

Three prisoners who violently attacked their guards will spend an extra three and a half years in jail.

The national triennial bun-fight is upon us, with parties being thrown in homes across the country as the votes are counted. But how do you avoid political arguments and other potential vibe-killers on the night? Keep it lighthearted and inclusive, our party planners say.

A 29-year-old Auckland man has been jailed for more than six years after plying a 14-year-old girl with alcohol before sexually assaulting her in an attack he planned with the girl's mother.

The judge, sentencing him said he exploited the trust between mother and daughter.

A High Court judge has taken the self-admitted "extraordinary step" to suppress details of a murder case, despite saying "the public has a right to know".

The Herald can report that a man appeared at the High Court in Auckland today and entered a plea to a charge relating to a murder.

The man who brutally beat his 69-year-old neighbour to death and then, as she lay dying and unresponsive, sexually assaulted her twice, has appealed his life sentence.

On May 26 Jaden Lee Stroobant was sentenced to preventive detention and life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for his "callous and depraved" crimes.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to murdering the 69-year-old Cunxiu Tian in her family home in January last year.

On Friday morning, Julie-Ann Torrance wiped away tears as the High Court in Auckland heard how she helped brutally torture and kidnap an Auckland teenager. 

She sat alongside Nicola Jones and Wayne Blackett who had also played a part of the crime that became known as 'The Dome Valley case'. 

The trio were all handed down jail terms exceeding 10 years.

The man who brutally beat his 69-year-old neighbour to death and then, as she lay dying and unresponsive, sexually assaulted her twice, has been sentenced to preventive detention and life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for his "callous and depraved" crimes.