Stephen Hudson, found guilty of murdering Nicholas Pike, whose body has never been found, has been jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 16 years.
Mr Pike, 22, had not been seen since March 2002 when he went into isolated country off the Desert Rd with Hudson, who was his boss in the drugs trade. At the time, Hudson was on the run from the police for a violent attack and drug offences. He was arrested two months later. Justice Ronald Young sentenced Hudson in the High Court at Wellington today.
