The beach at Port Waikato. A former Myanmar refugee was fishing at Island Block Rd in February last year when a mentally unwell man stabbed him to death. Photo / Christine Cornege
WARNING: This story includes graphic details and may be upsetting.
A man who frantically stabbed a former Myanmar refugee 14 times while the victim was fishing in Meremere says he “just flipped out” after his money card was cut off.
Paul Joe Hughes, 37, was arrested not long after the killing of Abdul Kareem who was found dead in the Whangamarino River by a member of the public on February 15, last year.
Kareem, a father of four, was a regular fisher at Port Waikato.
On the day of his death, Kareem’s wife, Chocho, packed him a lunch of some fruit, a kebab, and water.
He put on a T-shirt, sarong, and jandals, leaving his Māngere home about 11am, setting out on the 40-minute drive south to his favourite spot on Island Block Rd.
On arrival, the 40-year-old set up his camping chair, a chilly bin, bait, and his trusty fishing rods.
A neighbour would later tell police, he was a regular in the area and would often turn up in the morning and fish all day, sometimes staying until sunset.
Kareem would often give the neighbour a friendly wave. But on this day, sometime prior to 4.30pm, Hughes arrived.
Kareem was busy fishing, standing in the shallows of the river and the pair began talking.
Hughes, who was of no fixed abode and had been sleeping rough in the Meremere area, then suddenly became “enraged”, stabbing Kareem 14 times in the face, neck, and upper chest area.
When spoken to by police, Hughes said he “just flipped out” after his money card got cut off, and claimed to have stabbed his victim eight times and left the knife in the river.
He then went to Kareem’s car, stole some money, and fled on foot.
Hughes appeared in the High Court at Hamilton on Friday for disposition, effectively sentencing, under the Criminal Procedure [Mentally Impaired Persons] Act.
Mental health specialists had earlier found Hughes unfit to plead, meaning under the legislation it is up to a judge to determine if the evidence against the defendant is sufficient enough to prove he caused the victim’s death - in this case, murder.
No conviction is entered and instead the judge must decide on disposition - or sentence - into a mental health facility.
Crown prosecutor Jacinda Hamilton told Justice Anne Hinton she’d filed multiple memorandums, including a formal statement from the officer-in-charge, evidence, admissions by Hughes, and two reports by three psychiatrists around his “major mental illness”.
She submitted detaining Hughes in a mental health facility as a special patient was the necessary outcome, not only for him and his treatment but also for members of the public.
“The order is necessary in terms of the public, for safety, and it’s also desirable for this defendant who clearly needs significant mental health assistance.”
Justice Hinton agreed. She determined Hughes was responsible for Kareem’s murder and that it was necessary for him to be detained in a hospital as a special patient.
Members of Kareem’s family also attended the hearing. They declined to comment when approached by NZME.
Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and at the Herald for eight years before joining the Open Justice team in 2022.
The Government wants to keep operating them for another year.