Elderly Northland man left unconscious for two days following brutal assault

Karis Cassidy was sentenced in Whangārei for a brutal assault on an elderly man who was not found for two days. Photo / Michael Cunningham

After assaulting a relative, a man returned to the scene the next day to find his family member still unconscious, a court heard.

Instead of rendering assistance, he moved the unconscious elderly man to a bed and left again, leaving him in a remote location suffering a severe brain bleed.

Karis Cassidy, 26, appeared for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court on one charge of aggravated robbery causing grievous bodily harm and one charge of wounding with intent to injure following the brutal assault.

He also had a range of driving offences including his 10th driving while disqualified charge.

On November 17, 2022, Anthony Marshall, 61, was on the land he shared with whānau in Kaihu, Dargaville, when Cassidy arrived demanding a wallet and car Marshall was looking after for a sick uncle.

Marshall refused to hand the property over. Cassidy struck him with a king hit to the head, knocking the older man to the floor unconscious.

Cassidy left the scene and returned the next day to find Marshall still on the floor where he left him.

With the help of an accomplice, he moved Marshall to a bed before leaving again.

Marshall’s wallet, phone, and car were also taken at some stage over the two days.

Marshall lay injured for another 24 hours before a friend arrived to check on him after he had not shown up to collect his medications.

The friend found him with a pillow on his head, and although he was breathing, he could not be woken.

Anthony Marshall was flown by the Northland Emergency Services helicopter from Kaihu to Auckland in critical condition and placed on life support. Photo / NZME

Marshall was flown by the Northland Emergency Services to Auckland Hospital in critical condition and required emergency brain surgery before being placed on life support.

Weeks later, he suffered a seizure which required a second emergency brain surgery, leaving him with such severe injuries he had to learn to walk, talk and eat again.

Marshall already had no vision in his left eye and sustained vision impairment in his right eye from the assault.

His daughter, Madison, 22, in a court victim impact statement, said she had to give up her job to provide care for her father and that it was the most traumatic experience she had ever been through.

“My poor papa, he didn’t deserve this, it was pure evil.

“When I saw my Dad in ICU he was almost unrecognisable because he had so many tubes. Once he saw me he cried and cried. A piece of my Dad is gone, he will never be the same again,” her statement said.

Marshall had spent most of his life working in Australia and had returned to Kaihu to live out a dream of living on the whenua.

“My first trip to my homeland was not meant to be like this,” Madison said.

“You’ve got no mana, I hope you rot in jail.”

While Marshall was in the hospital, $26,000 was taken out of his uncle’s account and Marshall was also left with no money or access to funds, leaving him reliant on the help of others.

Crown lawyer Alex Goodwin said the offending was serious given Cassidy returned and did nothing to get help.

“Even though it was only one punch, it’s the ongoing actions.

“The concern is the defendant went back, saw the victim in the exact same place and in effect, left him and failed to do anything to assist him,” Goodwin submitted.

Cassidy, who spent most of his life in state care, submitted a letter of remorse through his lawyer, Mathew Ridgley, and said he had been praying for the victim.

“If I could take it back I would,” Cassidy’s letter said.

Judge Gene Tomlinson said Cassidy’s decision to leave Marshall unaided screamed of “immaturity and the inability to take responsibility”.

The judge said Cassidy was lucky he was not facing a more serious charge.

“Tony’s life has been irreversibly changed. His life has been changed forever. His daughter has had to change the direction of her life to provide care for her Dad.

“You are so lucky it’s not murder or manslaughter.”

Judge Tomlinson sentenced an emotionless Cassidy to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.