Nai Yin Xue

Auckland, July 31 NZPA - Nai Yin Xue, the father of "Pumpkin", the girl he abandoned at a Melbourne train station, was today jailed for life, with a minimum non-parole period of 12 years, for murdering his wife.

Xue, 56, a newspaper publisher and self-styled martial arts expert, was found guilty last month of the September 2007 murder of An An Liu, 27.

Ms Liu's naked body was found inside the boot of his company car, which was parked outside their Auckland home.

His laywer Chris Comeskey said after the sentencing in the High Court at Auckland that Xue would appeal.

During a three-week week trial, the Crown said that Xue strangled Ms Liu with a neck tie before fleeing to Australia with his daughter two days later.

He left his daughter, Qian Xun, who was three at the time, alone at a Melbourne train station and flew to the United States.

As authorities tried to establish the girl's identity, she became known by the Pumpkin Patch label of clothing she was wearing.

In February last year, after more five months on the run, Xue was captured after six members of a Chinese family in Chamblee in Georgia recognised him and tied him up until police arrived.

Xue did not give evidence at his trial.

His defence told the court Xue did not know his wife was dead when he left his daughter in Melbourne.

It also said Ms Liu could have died as a result of a sexual act gone wrong with one or two other men.

After his sentencing in the High Court this morning Mr Comeskey said an appeal against conviction was being planned.

He said Xue maintained that he was in no way responsible for his wife's death.

"It follows from that that we will be having a close look at the file to prepare an appeal for him," he said.

The appeal could be lodged as early as this afternoon.

Mr Comeskey declined to say what the basis of the appeal would be because there would be several aspects, and he did not want to weaken one aspect by highlighting another now.

However, it would not be based on the partial defence of provocation -- an issue Justice Hugh Williams raised today -- because Xue had indicated he had nothing to do with Ms Liu's death.

After he was found guilty Xue reacted by shouting out "unfair" and "innocent". But today he sat quietly through sentencing.

Mr Comeskey said the reason was because a jury's verdict always carried an element of uncertainty, which was less of a case at sentencing.