Big Read: Teens plotted murder by text as they sat next to victim

Sandeep Dhiman. Photo / Supplied

A teenage girl's chilling plot to kill an Indian immigrant she met via dating site Tinder was revealed in a brief High Court hearing in Napier.

The details were in a summary presented by Crown prosecutor Steve Manning as Rose Page Lewis pleaded guilty to charges of murdering IT professional and student Sandeep Dhiman and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to rob him of a car and a cellphone eight days before Christmas.

Her admissions, a prompt "guilty" to the injuring charge and a reluctant "guilty" to that of murder, as she stood in the dock, dressed in dark pants, black Puma hooded top, and the tips of her long dark hair tinged with blue, came five weeks after associate and fellow teenager Shaun Liam Karauria, of Napier, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole term of 12 years.

He admitted stabbing Dhiman nine times at a remote roadside north of Napier before the cousins, then aged 17, left him to die in a ditch near a farm gate.

Lewis, who coaxed Karauria into the killing and who was represented in court by Hastings barrister Matthew Phelps, was remanded by Justice Rebecca Ellis in custody for sentencing in Napier on July 27.

The plot was revealed in text messaging between Lewis and Karauria.

Dhiman, who had come to New Zealand in 2015, drove them 6km up Matahorua Rd west of Tutira, oblivious to the massacre that was about to take place on the night of December 17.

It was there Karauria took Dhiman for a walk, stabbed him repeatedly in the back, throat, heart and chest with such force it broke the handle off the kitchen knife he'd taken to the scene for the purpose.

He kicked Dhiman in the head and stomped on his face as the victim cried out for help.

As Lewis, Karauria and a male associate, who was not charged in relation to the attack, got into the victim's car and drove off, Lewis saw Dhiman move.

Karauria stopped the vehicle, got out and stomped on the victim again — "until he was satisfied the deceased was no longer moving and likely dead" according to the summary of facts.

The summary includes transcripts of the messaging, which included Lewis' use of a cellphone bought by Dhiman and given to Lewis on the day before he was killed.

Later on that day, Lewis contacted another Indian male via Tinder, asking what sort of vehicle he had, and later told an associate she and Karauria were planning to take an Indian for a drive and kill him the following weekend.

Lewis had met Dhiman at least twice since the first Tinder contact and during the weekend used both he and the second man to transport her and her friends between Flaxmere, Hastings and Napier.

Early on the morning of December 17, Lewis messaged the second man saying "want a gf" but he was not interested, believing it she only asked because she wanted his car.

About 1.50pm, Lewis texted Dhiman asking if he would pick her up, which he did, before taking her and her female associate to a bottle store.

While Dhiman was inside buying Cody's bourbon and Cola, Karauria said to Lewis during an exchange of messages "we have got you a new car then cousin" and followed-up with, "Should we take him out to Otane haha or out to Tutira".

Soon afterwards, while Dhiman was at a takeaway shop in Napier, Lewis told her female associate in the car outside that she was using Dhiman, that she and Karauria were going to kill him and she wanted his car.

Soon afterwards, while drinking at Dhiman's Napier South address where he cooked the two women a meal, Karauria messaged Lewis saying, "Are we serious about this cous," to which Lewis replied: "Yo cousin I am."

Further messages, some appended by "haha", "lol" and other text talk, talked of running Dhiman over, smashing him and stabbing him, with Karauria confirming he'd get a butcher knife for the purpose, amid a plan to get their victim out of the car at a remote spot where the killing could take place.

When Karauria confirmed "I'm doing this", Lewis responded: "Thanks cousin love u."

When Dhiman collected Karauria from his address at Lewis' request, Lewis messaged Karauria: "This is a different Indian go with the flow."

There were more messages as Dhiman drove north later in the evening, with regular text messaging between Karauria in the front passenger seat beside him and Lewis in the back, beside another male associate.

At one point Lewis messaged Karauria that Dhiman had tried to kiss her, and Karauria replied: "That's it cous."

It was after 9pm when Dhiman stopped the car and got out, encouraged to go for a talk with Karauria, the pair climbing over a gate before Karauria carried out the attack.

Dhiman managed to climb back over the gate and cry for help before collapsing on the grass verge.

Karauria told the second male to search Dhiman's pockets and take two cellphones and after completing the attack, Karauria drove Lewis and the second man back to Napier where they stopped at public toilet in West Quay where Karauria tried to wash the blood away.

At 8.25am the next day, Karauria tried to sell Dhiman's car online and it was about 40 minutes later that the body was discovered - by a truck driver on Matahorua Rd.

Later that day the second male went to Napier Police Station and told of what had happened, and soon afterwards Lewis and Karauria appeared at Hastings Police Station accompanied by family members.

Residents in the area where the attack took place, one of whom first realised something was amiss when he realised police had closed off the road outside his gate are left with a mystery over why the tragedy happened there. One said: "They had no connection to anyone here. It was just totally random."

These excerpts are from a text timeline presented as evidence by police.

December 17, 2017:
About 1.50pm: Sandeep Dhiman agreed to collect Lewis and a female associate, at Lewis's request. They go to a bottle store to get a box of Cody's pre-mixed bourbon and cola.
About 3.45pm: While Sandeep is in the store, Lewis and Karauria exchange messages.
Shaun Karauria texted: "We have got you a knew [sic] car then cousin...Should we take him out to otane haha or out to tutira."
Sandeep emerges from the store and drives Lewis and the female associate to his home. He cooks them a meal and they drink the Cody's.
Karauria messages Lewis again: "Are we serious about this cous."
Lewis replies: "Yo cousin I am."
Lewis and Karauria exchanged further texts at Sandeep's home, planning their attack:
4.01pm: Karauria: "Yo I'm keen cous."
Lewis: "Try get his phone to and wallet hahahha."
4.07pm: Karauria proposes getting Lewis to drive Sandeep's car to Tutira, going for walk, passing keys to Karauria and he and Lewis getting into the car and driving off.
4.17pm to 4.19pm: Lewis texts Karauria: "We should run him over...or u just smash him over...thenu smash him up then ditch him."
4.21pm: Karauria: "Yip I'll do that I'll bring a pole as well and then give him a hiding and then we ditch him."
4.22pm: Lewis: "And stab him cousin up to u...Yip make sure he can't get back cous."
4.25pm: Karauria: "Tutira should be the best one and yip I will cous I'll bring an butcher knife as well."
7.58pm: Lewis and Karauria confirm they are still planning the attack and theft.
8.25pm: Sandeep collected Lewis and Karauria and one other person from Flaxmere. Sandeep drove with Karauria in the front passenger seat, and Lewis and a third person in the back.
8.31pm-8.33pm: Lewis texted Karauria: "I'm scared cousin."
Karauria: "I am but at the same time I'm gonna stab this … for touching u."
Lewis: "Thanks cousin he tried to kiss me."
8.44pm-8.47pm: Karauria and Lewis discuss where Karauria would stab Sandeep.
Karauria: "I'll do it in here and someone can pull him out".
Lewis : "Na take him for a walk".
After 9pm, the vehicle stopped near a Matahorua farm gate, Sandeep was coaxed out of the vehicle and attacked.
December 18, 8.25am: Karauria posts on Facebook garage sale page asking if anyone wants to buy a car for $1500.
About 9.15am that day, Sandeep's body was discovered in a ditch.
That evening, a third person arrived at Napier Police Station and revealed what had happened. Later, Karauria and Lewis and family members arrive at Hastings Police Station.