Elderly man's murder brought pain, grief - daughter

The daughter of an 81-year-old murder victim told a court today his brutal killing has brought her family enormous heartache and pain.

Wendy Zagalsky struggled with her emotions in the High Court at Auckland today as she told Justice Rodney Hansen that Matiu Tane Kopa's part in the killing of her 81-year-old father, Norman James Lewis, had brought pain and grief even though she and her sisters were not close to their father.

In court today, Kopa was jailed for a minimum of 13 years. A jury convicted him of murder last November.

His girlfriend and Mr Lewis' daughter, Tracey Anne Lewis, was found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity.

In her victim impact report Ms Zagalsky said she and her other sisters Helen and Barbara were not close to their father and had he died under any other circumstances they would not have gone to his funeral.

Because of the way he died it felt right to send him off compassionately, she said.

She said her sister Tracey may never recover from the event. That she was now getting the help she needed may be the "only positive thing that has come from Norman's death.

"On that day not only did Norman die but so did the soul of my loving sister Tracey," she told the court.

She said Tracey had not been well for some time but there was hope she would become 100 per cent mentally healthy.

"But I can honestly say that no matter how much help she gets she will never truly recover from this."

Ms Zagalsky looked directly at Kopa and told him the killing of her father changed so many people's lives, including his family's.

"I hope that you understand that by removing Norman from this world the way you did has not brought any peace, just more heartache and pain.

"In time I know that we will find forgiveness for you and only hope that you get the help that you too deserve to heal yourself, so that you can be a better person because if anything, it would not be right if your lesson is not learnt from this horrible event."

Justice Hansen said Mr Lewis died from a blow to the head delivered by his daughter. He was also stabbed by Kopa and had his throat cut by Ms Lewis so severely his head was nearly severed from his torso.

He said Kopa provided assistance or encouragement to Ms Lewis before or at the time she inflicted the fatal blow.

Kopa had a 15-year-old daughter he had not seen since she was three and a long criminal record which began when he was 15. He began drinking when he was 11 and using cannabis when he was 13.

He had been in 14 drug and alcohol programmes. Only one had worked and for six or seven years from 1985 to 1991 he had been alcohol and drug free and had not appeared before the courts.

However, there was no doubt drugs and alcohol played a part in the death of Mr Lewis, the judge said.

Kopa showed little emotion other than a slight nod to the judge as he was jailed for life with a minimum non parole period of 13 years.

- NZPA