Parole declined as man 'struggling' to accept behaviour as stalking

A man who shot his love rival in the head in a coastal Otago settlement is struggling to accept he is a stalker, the Parole Board has heard. 

Krishan Dick-Karetai, 28, was jailed for nearly seven years after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Hemi Tahuri following an incident in Karitane in October 2021. 

At sentencing, the court heard Dick-Karetai had moved to Dunedin and embarked on a campaign to win the affections of the victim’s partner Missy Parata. 

Despite her requests for him to leave her alone, he subjected her to numerous phone calls and text messages. 

As his frustrations peaked, Dick-Karetai turned up at the couple’s home and fired a shot through the front door which struck Mr Tahuri in the head. 

The bullet remained lodged in the back of the victim’s head and could not be removed by surgeons because of its precarious position. 

Despite that, Mr Tahuri miraculously beat the odds and survived the attack. 

Since being at the Otago Corrections Facility, the Parole Board, at a hearing last month, heard Dick-Karetai had been undergoing psychological treatment. 

He said the sessions had "enable[d] him to slow down his thinking and stop him from reacting impulsively". 

But the psychologist suggested there were further strides the prisoner had to make. 

"He is struggling to acknowledge that his behaviour towards his partner constituted stalking, which presents as a barrier to effective treatment," panel convener Martha Coleman said. 

Dick-Karetai also needed to do further work on relationship and communication skills, the report highlighted. 

The psychologist said the reluctance of the inmate to acknowledge his obsessive behaviour made it difficult to delve deeper into his issues. 

Dick-Karetai was assessed as a low risk of future stalking of the same woman, however, he was seen as a moderate risk of physical violence towards her or someone known to her. 

The victims told the board they continued to live in fear the stalking would resume and did not want him released from prison “ever”. 

They also raised concerns Dick-Karetai had used social media to identify members of the victims’ wider whanau. 

He told the board he had no recollection of that but Ms Coleman said it may be appropriate to limit his access to the internet when he was eventually freed. 

Aside from the psychologist’s report, Dick-Karetai was described by Corrections staff as “always polite”. 

The board heard positive reports about the prisoner’s time in self-care, his work in the kitchen and the time he spent working out in the gym. 

Parole was declined and Dick-Karetai's next hearing was set for February next year. 

Ms Coleman said that would give him time to complete individual treatment, transfer prisons for "reintegrative opportunities" and to develop a release proposal. 

She also requested an updated psychological report to clarify why Dick-Karetai was assessed as a low risk of stalking the same woman again.