KEY POINTS:
A lack of defensive wounds showed a knife attack victim was so drunk and so surprised by a knife attack that he never had a chance to put up a fight, a court was told today.
Eugene Baker died in his flat in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton in early hours of January 16, stabbed or slashed 14 times with a fish filleting knife.
Brent Paul Craig, the 33-year-old friend who stabbed him in a fit of drunken jealousy, today had a minimum non-parole term of 12 years imposed in the High Court at Christchurch as part of the life sentence he will serve.
The Crown and Justice John Hansen both made reference to the 11 slash wounds to Mr Baker's face, as well as the stab wounds to his groin and two in the chest.
Crown prosecutor Catherine Butchard described the attack to the face as callous.
Justice Hansen said: "It is of significance that there were no defensive wounds found on the victim. It is proper to infer that he was in no position to defend himself due to the speed of the attack and his extremely intoxicated state."
Craig's partner of two years had been staying at Mr Baker's flat for several days and after fishing at New Brighton Pier and drinking with a friend, Craig went to the flat to persuade her to return home.
There was what defence counsel Jeff McCall described as "a short interchange" and then Craig took the knife from the belt and attacked the victim as he sat in a chair.
Craig remained at the scene and made a full and frank confession to the police. He pleaded guilty to the murder charge last month.
Miss Butchard said the attack happened only a week after Craig had been released from a prison term for another violent offence.
She said the victim had been very vulnerable, in his own home at 3am, sitting down, drunk at three times the drink-driving limit, and in ill health from hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease.
He was also much smaller than Craig, weighing only 57kg.
The court heard a victim impact statement from Mr Baker's sister, who lives with her family in Petone, who said she had loved him dearly and wished she had been able to protect him as he had protected her when they were young.
She had a close bond with Mr Baker and now suffered from depression, anxiety attacks, and insomnia.
A victim impact statement from Craig's partner, who was in the room where the murder occurred, was not read in court. Justice Hansen said it showed there was no physical relationship between the woman and Mr Baker.
"He was simply a friend who had helped her a number of times over the years," he said.
Mr McCall said Craig had been the product of a difficult upbringing. His attack was not premeditated and he only had the knife with him because he had been fishing before walking to the flat.
- NZPA