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A Dunedin boarding-house resident who stabbed a man to death will never be named and will spend the foreseeable future in a secure ward.
The 26-year-old appeared in the High Court at Dunedin this morning after being found not guilty of the murder of 36-year-old Aneli Helu Katea by reason of insanity.
Both prosecution and defence agreed on the outcome and Justice Jonathan Eaton duly made an order detaining him as a special patient in a secure facility.
“He poses a significant risk to the safety of the community,” the judge said.
The question of permanent name suppression was more fraught.
A psychiatrist said publication of the defendant’s name would represent a significantly acute stressor which carried a “genuine risk to his life”.
While Crown prosecutor Robin Bates underscored the fact the man would be on a ward where that risk could be managed, Justice Eaton was not convinced.
The judge said the material filed by clinicians established there was a risk of extreme hardship to the defendant if he was named, which overrode the principal of open justice.
The suppression order meant both the man’s circumstances and his “unique” family background cannot be reported.
On October 3 last year, the defendant walked from his boarding-house accommodation to a Great King St squat where his victim was living.
An argument erupted.
On the footpath outside, Mr Katea fell to the ground as the defendant stabbed him in the back and chest.
One wound pierced the victim’s heart, the court heard.
As Mr Katea limped back to his makeshift home, his attacker wandered off, and after a detour to a shop, he returned to find the man dead.
Standing in the driveway, the defendant yelled to a passerby: “Hello, beautiful woman” and “when are the cops going to get here? I’ve just stabbed someone”.
Police arrived later that afternoon when a member of the public found Mr Katea but their inquiries did not immediately point them in the direction of the defendant.
Two days after the incident, though, the killer returned to the scene and was spotted “dancing . . . and behaving oddly”.
When police turned up at the man’s home they found a knife in his bag with what was later found to be the victim’s blood on the blade.
Officers attempted to interview the defendant but his “nonsensical comments” provided little clarity.
Subsequent psychiatric assessments were slightly more helpful.
One noted the defendant had an established diagnosis of schizophrenia which was complicated by his use of cannabis, methamphetamine and alcohol.
The defendant reported auditory hallucinations – which he previously attributed to “fairies” - of his brothers’ voices imploring him to “cut the head off the boy”.
However, there were times when the defendant became overwhelmed by anger and at one point threatened to kill a clinician.
A psychiatrist said it was significant the man’s most recent decline had come while he was taking anti-psychotic medication.
The defendant was assessed as a high risk of future relapses into “florid psychosis”, which would be exacerbated by the use of alcohol and non-prescription drugs.
Justice Eaton noted a report which outlined the man’s history of self-harm, which was a strong predictor of similar future behaviour.
The diagnosis of schizephrenia only heightened that, he said.
The judge acknowledged Mr Katea’s family’s pain – that their loved one had been named while the defendant’s identity remained under wraps.
They opposed the permanent name suppression of the killer.
“I understand the family’s frustration and distress,” the judge said.
“It’s a shocking situation you all have to deal with and there’s nothing I can say which will lessen the loss you have suffered.”
Counsel Anne Stevens KC also stressed the sadness of the situation.
“It’s an extremely unhappy state of affairs . . . it's tragic for all concerned,” she said.
“It’s important the victims of this crime understand [the defendant] will be receiving compulsory treatment for years to come and that in itself keeps the community safe.”
To be released, the defendant would have to meet a “very high threshold” regarding his mental stability, Justice Eaton said.