Life 'came to stop' for grieving Middleton

By JO-MARIE BROWN

The crisp, no-nonsense white shirt and jeans, the determined expression, the intense glare, the ramrod-straight back - Mark Middleton looks like a man you would not want to mess with.

The threats he made against Paul Dally were graphic, calculated and chilling.



But Mark Middleton is not a violent person, says his eldest brother, George.

"You ask if he's tough? Anybody who'd been through the things that Mark has endured over the last 11 years would have totally disintegrated by now."

Middleton's walk - he seemed taller than his 180cm among the scrum of reporters outside court yesterday - is upright, the result of a painting accident that means he cannot bend his spine easily. He looks unbending.

Born in Wales in 1956, Middleton came to New Zealand with his parents and four siblings when he was 5. They settled in Lower Hutt.

Middleton left Hutt Valley High School at 15 and joined the family's painting business, later branching out on his own.

He sang in local bands, played the piano and eventually married.

The marriage failed and after his divorce he met Karla Cardno's mother, Veronica.

Middleton became close to Karla, teaching her the piano.

But when his 13-year-old stepdaughter was killed, his life and personality changed, says his brother.

"His life literally came to a stop. He's a lot more serious now because he's a person in deep grief," said George.

Mark Middleton's painting business ground to a halt and he has struggled to rebuild it. He and Veronica separated but remain close friends.

Later, living in a converted warehouse in Wanganui, he became a foster parent for Barnados and Child, Youth and Family Services.

A Wanganui neighbour , Peter Hewson, said Middleton was an intelligent man who meticulously thought things through.

"He's capable of extremely deep thought and I think he's got a pretty good handle on how the world really works."

But yesterday's sentence follows a 1999 conviction and $400 fine for common assault and wilful damage and a 1991 conviction and $600 fine for dangerous driving.

Detective Sergeant Chris Bensemann, officer in charge of the prosecution for threatening to kill, said Middleton was passionate and determined.

"You could talk to him about the width of the road and he'd be very passionate about whether it should be wider or narrower. He's a very strong-minded person."

But Detective Sergeant Bensemann believed Middleton's threats were a result of his emotions overtaking common sense.

In court yesterday, a psychiatric report diagnosed Middleton as suffering from "chronic hypertrophic grief" - a prolonged condition caused by sudden trauma.

George Middleton always maintained the violent threats were the result of grief.