A Dunedin man has been jailed for life for the killing of his ex-employee, but the reason for his frenzied attack may never be known.
Rajinder, 35, appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday, where he was locked up for a minimum of 17 and a-half years after being found guilty of the murder of 27-year-old Gurjit Singh following a jury trial at the end of last year.
Justice Rachel Dunningham said Rajinder lied to police about his movements on January 28, 2024, claiming he had been taking his wife for a midnight driving lesson at the time of the killing, and that he had never been to the victim’s Liberton home.
And the lies had continued since the trial, revealing the defendant’s ‘‘arrogance’’, she said.
Rajinder recently admitted to Probation he had gone to confront Mr Singh because he believed the younger man had been ignoring him.
He described driving to the house to ‘‘clear the air … perhaps have a cup of tea’’.
Rajinder admitted taking a knife with him, but claimed he held it out to the victim, thinking he would be killed.
Justice Dunningham rejected Rajinder’s account as ‘‘quite implausible’’.
‘‘It’s yet another lie from you to deflect responsibility for your crime,’’ she told Rajinder.
The catalyst was more likely the impending arrival in New Zealand of Mr Singh’s new wife, who had earlier declined an arranged marriage with Rajinder, the judge suggested.
In July 2023, the victim had married Kamaljeet Kaur in India and they were just days away from starting their new life together in Dunedin when the bloody attack took place.
Rajinder worked for Downer as a fibre-optic cable installer, employing Mr Singh for about a year before the victim broke away to start his own business in September 2022.
Despite the split, witnesses said there appeared to be no animosity between the men.
But late on the night in question, Rajinder went to Mr Singh’s home with a pair of gloves and a hunting knife he was caught on CCTV buying just hours earlier.
The evidence, painted in blood, showed an initial attack inside the victim’s home which spilled outside.
Mr Singh’s body was found on his front lawn partially decapitated; at least 46 stab wounds were later identified by a pathologist.
During the melee, Rajinder suffered a deep cut to his own hand and forensic scientists found traces of his blood at the scene leading to the road where he had made his escape.
Mr Singh’s blood was also discovered in the killer’s car.
Most damning were hairs found in the victim’s hand, which — to a near scientific certainty — matched Rajinder’s DNA.
In a statement, Mr Singh’s parents said the tragedy of losing their only son, whom they described as ‘‘gentle, hardworking, loving’’, had destroyed them.
‘‘We feel anger, helplessness, confusion. We feel robbed of our child, our future and our peace,’’ they said.
‘‘There is no closure because the ‘why’ continues to haunt us.’’
Sitting through every moment of the trial was ‘‘almost unbearable’’, the couple said.
‘‘After hearing everything, nothing made sense. Our son did nothing wrong. He harmed no-one,’’ they wrote.
‘‘He deserved time. He deserved happiness. He deserved life.’’
Mr Singh’s wife, Ms Kaur, said her grief had left her ‘‘emotionally paralysed’’.
She was now a young widow facing the harsh judgements of society and she now felt like a burden living with her parents again, she said.
Outside court yesterday, Mr Singh’s father, Nishan, said he was content justice had been served and paid tribute to those who had supported the family through their ordeal.
However, he and his wife, Swarn Kaur, now faced an uncertain future in India, having liquidated all the family assets to fund their son’s overseas endeavours.
‘‘Now we have nothing. No land. No savings. No support. Nothing to fall back on in our old age,’’ the couple said.
‘‘Our last hope died with him.’’