Murray Tait's parents sought help before killing

Murray Tait's parents were so concerned about his behaviour they asked for help - but on the day a social worker was to visit, he allegedly murdered his father.
This was part of the evidence presented by Tait's mother as he stands trial in the High Court at Hamilton.
Tait, 46, denies murdering his 76-year-old father, David Noel Tait, on June 22 last year at the 15th Ave home he shared with his parents.
The Crown says the accused bludgeoned his father's skull with a hammer in the bathroom while his 70-year-old mother, Janice Tait, was walking the family dog.
Tait does not deny causing his father's death - but the jury will have to decide whether the Crown's evidence proves he had murderous intent when he struck his father with at least five blows.
The Crown says the accused's actions were "calculated and deliberate" and, after carrying out the attack, he wiped the hammer clean and returned it to the tool rack, locked up the house and drove around for several hours until police located him in Turret Rd at 2.47pm on the same day.
Tait had walked into the harbour to try to avoid capture and a Tauranga Coastguard boat was required to bring him back to shore, the jury was told.
On Tuesday, Mrs Tait gave evidence that she and her husband had been concerned about their son's reclusive behaviour and lack of contribution to the household expenses for some time and had sought help from several support agencies.
Under questioning by Tait's lawyer, John Bergseng, yesterday, Mrs Tait said that while the local mental health trust had been "very sympathetic" about their situation, they were told that unless their son was a danger to himself or to others, they could not help.
Mrs Tait said after being referred to ToughLove Tauranga by Age Concern, they met with a social worker three to four times between April 15 and June 17, and were encouraged to confront their son to try to force him to change his behaviour.
But doing so had "not gone down well" - particularly the advice to remove some of the accused's favourite foods from their shopping list. This was aimed at encouraging him to be less dependent on them, she said.
Mrs Tait said their concerns increased after two episodes of violence towards them.
Tait was a loner, a hoarder and would get upset when faced with unexpected changes. He seemed preoccupied with the boxes of personal possessions which filled his bedroom up to the ceiling, she said.
Mrs Tait said they had arranged for ToughLove social worker Donald Welsh and a female colleague to visit their home at 11am on June 22 to try to talk to their son.
Mr Welsh gave evidence that he had met Tait's parents on four occasions and had advised them to start adopting some ToughLove strategies in preparation for his visit.
Mr Bergseng suggested to Mr Welsh that "alarm bells should have been ringing" because of the couple's previous contacts with agencies and Mr Welsh's case notes, which stated he believed Tait may suffer obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder or even post-traumatic disorder.
Mr Welsh responded it was just "his opinion".
Constables Logan Marsh and Kayne Cording were the first police officers to arrive at the scene.
Mr Marsh said after forcing his way into the house, he found the barely conscious deceased in a "very scrunched-up" position in the bath, and it was immediately apparent he had sustained a major head injury.
Mr Marsh said he and Mr Cording began first aid before ambulance staff arrived. Mr Tait was taken to Tauranga Hospital, where he died.
Detective Constable Dave Harris said the accused told him the fatal argument started in the bathroom over the washing and, while he remembered hitting his father with the hammer once or maybe twice, he could not recall where he got the hammer from.
The trial continues today.