Man kills 'step-dad' with cricket bat

File photo / NZ Herald

A 25-year-old today admitted murdering his defacto step-dad by bludgeoning him to death with his cricket bat - and then playing cricket the next day.

Christopher Gleeson had a row with 65-year-old Christchurch pensioner Ken Moore on January 6 this year, and the younger man stormed away to "cool off''.

But he returned hours later, armed with his cricket bat and an intent to make his father-figure pay for "making me suffer over the last 12 months.''

A court heard that Gleeson - who pleaded guilty today at a hearing in Christchurch Men's Prison - had argued with Mr Moore in his garage and followed him inside the Waltham home where he hit him on the side of his head three times with the cricket bat.

Mr Moore fell face-first on the ground before Gleeson delivered a final blow to his head.

Gleeson sat in a chair in the lounge for half an hour before stealing the dead man's 50-inch plasma TV, eftpos card, and telephone, the Christchurch District Court heard today.

Police prosecutor sergeant Lisa Goodson told the court how Gleeson did not administer first aid or seek medical assistance to the man he "often referred to as his dad,'' but instead surfed the internet before leaving with the victim's car.

He unsuccessfully tried to withdraw cash from an ATM using Mr Moore's eftpos card, before returning to his Upper Riccarton home, putting the large TV in his lounge and getting into bed.

The next morning, he returned to the murder scene to find his step-dad dead.
Gleeson then drove to Howzat cricket centre in Christchurch where he dumped his "bloodied'' cricket bat, and again tried to withdraw cash using the stolen eftpos card, without success.

Then, he turned out for his club cricket team where he told team-mates that his dad was "ill and unhealthy'' and "unlikely to survive the weekend.''

The next day, Sunday January 8, he took the battery out of the stolen car, dumped it in Wilsons Rd, Christchurch, and walked back to the dead man's home with the battery, and put it in Mr Moore's second car.

Gleeson, whose occupation was given as being a manager, then phoned St John ambulance to say that he'd just arrived and found Mr Moore dead on the ground, bleeding form his head.

A homicide investigation was launched, but within hours police had spoken to Gleeson who admitted the murder.

He told police he had become "so angry in the way the victim had treated him over the last year,'' a police statement of facts says.

Police prosecutor Goodson said: "He said he was so angry with the way the victim had treated him, that he wanted to hurt him and make him suffer in the way he had been made to suffer.''

A post mortem examination revealed that Mr Moore had died from severe head injuries.
Today Judge Noel Walsh remanded Gleeson in custody at the city's men's prison until his High Court sentencing date of March 21.

Defence counsel Craig Ruane made no submissions and Gleeson made no comment as he was led back into custody.