Christchurch axe murder and mental health inquiry

The story so far

In October last year, a Hillmorton Hospital patient attacked an 83-year-old woman with an axe at her Mt Pleasant home in Christchurch, and she later died.^{10 Jun 2025} Hospital nurses reported the attack to police, but officers did not attend because they were given an inaccurate address and very little information.^{11 Jun 2025} A coding error in an emergency call from the hospital meant the woman's body was not found for three days.^{17 Jun 2025} In June 2025, the man was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 10 years at the High Court in Christchurch, and he told the court he did not recall the attack. Records also show he had killed his brother in 1975, after part of his brain was removed for a tumour.^{10, 16, 17 Jun 2025} The Chief Victims Adviser has called for an inquiry into the forensic mental health system.^{17 Jun 2025}

Latest

In July, a father alleged that a staff member skipped a drug test on the day of the man's second killing because he was acting cagey, and the incident has prompted a review of the mental health system.^{7 Jul 2025}

Key moments

1. 10 Jun 2025Man sentenced to life imprisonment, minimum 10 years, for axe murder.
2. 11 Jun 2025Police did not respond to hospital's axe-attack report, citing inaccurate address.
3. 16 Jun 2025Records show the man had also killed his brother in 1975.
4. 17 Jun 2025Chief Victims Adviser calls for inquiry into forensic mental health system.
5. 17 Jun 2025Coding error meant the victim's body was not found for three days.
6. 7 Jul 2025Father alleges missed drug test before second killing; review prompted.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.