Marceau inquest: Killer's mum 'not consulted about my willingness' to have son on bail

Christie Marceau was stabbed to death in her own home. Photo / Supplied

The mother of Christie Marceau's killer has spoken publicly for the first time at the inquest into the teenager's death.

Akshay Chand stabbed Christie, 18, to death in her North Shore home in November 2011.

Chand was facing charges of earlier kidnapping, assaulting and threatening Christie and despite strenuous police opposition, he was released on bail.

He was bailed to live with his mother Suchita Chand at an address less than 1km from the Marceau home.


Killer's confession revealed

Chand was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and it was revealed that his mother had hidden kitchen knives from him, fearing he may harm himself or others.

That did not stop him. He found her hiding place and obtained the weapon he used to kill Christie.

Suchita Chand has never spoken publicly about her son's brutal actions.

But today, in the second week of the inquest, she gave evidence in the Auckland District Court before Coroner Katharine Greig.

Suchita Chand said she gave a formal written statement to police after Christie was killed.

"It was an extremely stressful and distressing time for me," she said.

"I am making this further statement to address issues that have been raised by the Coroner."

Suchita Chand revealed that she "was not consulted about my willingness or ability to provide supervision" if he was granted bail to live in her home.

She was at court the day her son was granted bail by Judge David McNaughton.

He ordered the young offender to abide by a strict 24-hour curfew and only to leave the house for medical or legal appointments and even then, only if supervised by his mother or aunt.

He was also ordered not to contact or approach Christie or her family or go near their home.

Akshay Anand Chand was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Photo / New Zealand Herald

"Neither the court nor the police provided me with any information about the bail conditions or what was expected of me while Akshay was at home on bail," Suchita Chand told the inquest.

"I was not provided with any contact number so that in the event that I had any concern I could call someone for advice or help. Having said that, during the period Akshay was bailed to my home he did not do anything that would have made me want to call someone."

Suchita Chand told the inquest that after bail was granted, her son's lawyer Mary-Anne Lowe spoke to her and her sister Amita Williams, who had accompanied her to court.

"She explained that Akshay would have to live in my home while on bail and that he would have to be there 24/7.

"She said I would have to keep an eye on him, watch him - or words to that effect.

"I told Ms Lowe that I work in the mornings and will only be at home in the afternoons."

Suchita Chand said she told Lowe that if she was not home there was "usually" someone else there - her sister or daughter.

"I am sure that we were not told that an adult had to be at home supervising Akshay at all times.

"Ms Lowe did not give us any written instructions from the court about what was expected of us to supervise Akshay."

The killer's mother said a letter arrived at her home soon after he was bailed.

She recalled thinking it had come from the court but it was addressed to her son.

"I recall seeing the letter and that it set out the conditions of bail and something to the effect that he was only allowed to leave the house under supervision of an adult to go to appointments with his lawyer or doctor.

"I did understand that from time to time and without warning the police would be coming to my home to check that Akshay was home."

She said the police came to her home "most days".

"At no time was I given to understand that I had a responsibility to ensure that Akshay was supervised by an adult at my home 24/7," she said.

"Because of my work commitments there is no way that I could have done that, and I would not have agreed to provide 24/7 supervision if that were my responsibility."

Under cross-examination Suchita Chand said she usually worked from 6.30am until 3pm, but took a week off when her son was bailed so she could stay at home with him full time.

She confirmed she was at court for Chand's first bail hearing and court transcripts of that day revealed she was willing to have him at home, and wanted him there.

The court also heard that day from Lowe, most likely after a discussion with Suchita Chand, that the mother could take time off to supervise her son, and that his aunt did not work so was available to assist with monitoring.

She assured the court that the family could monitor the offender all day, every day and that he would never be alone.

Christie Marceau was killed in November 2011. Photo / Supplied

Suchita Chand could not remember much of the specifics about the court hearings or discussions about monitoring.

Transcripts show Lowe told the court that Chand's family could provide 24/7 supervision if he was bailed to that address.

Suchita Chand said she did not agree to the condition and was not told "we had to be there 24/7" but it did not occur to her to raise that in court when Lowe was speaking on the matter.

When pushed on the matter by Nikki Pender, the Marceau family lawyer, Suchita Chand repeatedly said she could not remember the specifics of the conversations about supervision.

Suchita Chand also confirmed she had concerns over the "very close" proximity between her home and the Marceau house.

But it never occurred to her to seek a different bail address for Chand.

"I didn't expect what happened to happen," she said.

"I didn't see any signs, he was just normal."

Suchita Chand said she was "extremely" scared when she learned of the charges her son was facing.

She told the inquest she hid knives from him to "protect" people.

"It was in my mind, he used a knife to threaten [Christie] so I thought I would just hide it when he's at home," she said.

Suchita Chand also spoke about the day Chand killed Christie.

She was at work and took a call from her daughter to say Chand was not at the house.

The worried mother called community mental health and then her sister.

She thought Chand had left home to commit suicide.

Lowe's lawyer Stuart Grieve QC then questioned Suchita Chand about what the defence lawyer told her after her son's arrest.

He said she was "very anxious" to get her son home and put to her that she told Lowe she would do whatever she could do assist the process.

Grieve said the information put before the court by Lowe about Chand, including who could supervise him, could only have come from his mother.

"She said that because that's what you'd told her, isn't it?" he said.

"[Otherwise] she has just made this up and told a judge in court something that was incorrect in that it hadn't come from you and your sister.

"I suggest to you that the true situation is that if he was granted bail he needed to be monitored 24 hours a day and you agreed to that."

Grieve said Lowe, expected to give evidence this afternoon, would tell the inquest that she "very plainly" explained the monitoring to Suchita Chand.

"You knew that if he was to be granted bail it would be on the basis that he had to be monitored 24/7 didn't you?"

Chand's mother replied: "Yes".

"But I didn't know that we had to be there for 24 hours a day with him. We tried our best to take turns to look after him."

Chand's sister 'shaken' by physical altercation before killing

Chand's sister Shayal also gave evidence today.

Like her mother, she said no one asked her to accept any responsibility for supervising her older brother on bail.

"I was attending high school at that time and there is no way that I could have accepted responsibility for supervising Akshay," she said.

"I have not seen any written instructions from the court or from police about how we as a family might have been expected to supervise Akshay while at home on bail."

Under cross-examination Shayal Chand said she never had any contact with her brother's defence lawyer and never attended any court hearings.

She also admitted she never had a discussion with her mother about her brother coming home on bail, and never spoke to him directly about the matter.

Shayal Chand said she was not particularly close to her brother growing up.

She told the inquest Chand was always a quiet person but before he killed Christie he "got quieter and more and more withdrawn".

He "always" listened to music on his iPod, which she thought was a way for him to avoid speaking to her or their mother.

Shayal Chand said she was never scared of her brother until 2011.

During an argument in the first half of the year Chand grabbed his younger sister and pushed her into a mirror in the hallway of their home.

She was not injured but "pretty shaken" and she raised the issue with her mother.

Shayal Chand was home when her brother tried to take an overdose the day he kidnapped and assaulted Christie.

She said the situation was scary, particularly when police came that night to search the house - and inform her and her mother of the charges he was facing.

When Chand came home on bail his sister tried to keep away from the house.

She stayed with friends as often as she could.

"I was scared so I just didn't want to be there with him," she said.

Shayal Chand was home the morning her brother killed Christie and said she got up to find his bedroom door open and him gone.

She checked the house and garden, knowing he was not supposed to leave, and then called her mother who was not home.

By then, Chand had already killed Christie.

Aunt phoned Chand to "check" on him during bail

His aunt Amita Williams' told the inquest that like Suchita Chand, she was not consulted about her willingness to provide supervision for her nephew.

She also did not receive any advice from Chand's lawyer, the court or police.

"I would telephone Akshay at home from time to time just to check that he was there and everything was alright," she said.

"He always answered and I had no cause for concern.

"Most days I went to visit Akshay. I went without warning him and expected him to answer the day.

"He always did."