Christchurch eye-surgeon Ian Dallison: doctor who tried to shoot former friend sells home from jail for $3m

Christchurch eye surgeon Ian Dallison. Photo / Supplied

An eye surgeon in jail for attempting to murder a former friend he owed money to has sold his home on Christchurch’s most prestigious street.

Dr Ian William Dallison, 65, in December, pleaded guilty in the High Court at Christchurch to attempting to murder Alberto Ceccarelli after firing a bullet that narrowly missed his former friend.

He also badly eye-gouged Ceccarelli and pistol-whipped his wife in the violent life-and-death struggle that followed.

Dallison will be sentenced on April 28 over the attack that took place on August 4, last year, and several firearms charges.

As a prominent surgeon, he earlier lived the high life from his Christchurch home on Helmores Lane where the Herald understands he kept about 200 guns, including one believed to be worth several hundred thousand dollars.

He is understood to have kept quality whisky and cigars and drove a red Porsche.

But in January this year, Dallison sold the home for $2.95 million.

Property website OneRoof lists the home as being 390sq m and sitting on a large 1040sq m section of land.

Suburban Estates, a company belonging to Christchurch developer Chris Wilson, purchased the home, according to media outlet Stuff.

Eye-surgeon Ian Dallison's home is on one of Christchurch's premier streets and sold for $2.95m. Photo / Google

Christchurch eye surgeon Ian Dallison. Photo / Supplied

Wilson told the outlet he wasn’t certain about what exactly would be done to the property but said the 1970s-built home would be demolished.

The home contained a secure gunroom that included a working Gatling machine gun and was decorated with animal heads Dallison reportedly killed on shooting safaris, Stuff reported.

A zebra skin floor covering was reportedly laid out in one of the rooms.

Dallison grew up in a respected Christchurch family and went on to become a prominent eye surgeon, running his own eye clinic.

However, Dallison gradually ran into financial trouble.

On August 4, the day of the attack, Dallison was adjudicated bankrupt after an application by his former friend Ceccarelli, 75, together with an Adam Armstrong.

The order related to $247,000, most of which was rent owed to the pair by Dallison’s eye clinic, which operated out of their commercial building.

Dallison then collected nine firearms and 167 rounds of ammunition in his Porsche and drove to Ceccarelli’s home.

Walking into the house at about 7.38pm, he spied Ceccarelli and his wife sitting at their dinner table.

Before they realised he was present he fired the gun at Ceccarelli. The round narrowly missed his head, lodging in the door frame over his shoulder.

Ceccarelli and his wife got up and rushed Dallison. A violent struggle ensued as they attempted to wrestle the pistol from his grip.

Dallison and the couple fell to the ground in a life-and-death scramble.

Dallison badly eye-gouged Ceccarelli’s right eye in the scrap.

As Ceccarelli’s wife attempted to stand up, Dallison then used his weight to pin her down and struck her four or five times on the back of the head with the pistol butt, concussing her.

Neighbours heard screaming and rushed over to help restrain Dallison until the police arrived.

The couple suffered serious injuries with Ceccarelli’s wife left concussed, badly bleeding and sore from the blows.

Ceccarelli suffered significant damage to his vision and is being treated by a neuro-ophthalmologist after the eye gouge, the High Court in Christchurch was told in December.

The injury has caused double vision and difficulties with depth perception, affecting his ability to work, read, type and exercise.