Man who died trying to break up fight was just days from graduating as chef

A man who was fatally stabbed while trying to break up a fight between tenants of a Community Living Trust accommodation was just days away from graduating as a chef.

Just minutes prior, Matthew Williams had been socialising with friends when he heard an argument erupt between Joseph Pitcaithly and Bailey Ecclestone at the shared accommodation in Clyde St, Hamilton on February 7 last year.

Williams was standing between the pair, and after Pitcaithly threw a plate on the ground, Ecclestone, who has autism and ADHD, picked up a knife and stabbed Pitcaithly in the shoulder.

He then stabbed Williams, 29, in the neck. He died of his injury days later in Waikato Hospital.

Bailey Ecclestone in the Hamilton High Court, where he was sentenced to four years and 10 months' imprisonment for the manslaughter of Matthew WIlliams and wounding Joseph Pitcaithly with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in Hamilton in February 2023. Photo / Belinda Feek

Ecclestone, 22, was yesterday jailed for four years and 10 months in the High Court at Hamilton on charges of manslaughter and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The victims’ families shared their heartfelt grief with Justice Gerard van Bohemen.

‘He was stolen from us’

Williams’ sister, Regina Edminstin, said her brother was “stolen” from their family.

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“How do I get you to understand the pain ... the constant trauma that I live daily?

“Having a sibling murdered changes you, changes you deeply. It changes your soul.”

Instead of the family attending her brother’s graduation, they had to go to his funeral instead.

Outside court afterward, Edminstin said the jail sentence wasn’t long enough but labelled her brother a hero for what he was trying to do that night.

“Four years is not going to bring back Matty, so yeah, it’s just unjust. We have an unjust system and it’s not fair.”

She believed the mental health system had let Ecclestone down as a child, and that he should never have been staying at the accommodation.

The Community Living Trust is an organisation that helps adults with additional needs or intellectual disabilities to live in the community.

Regina Edminstin, sister of stabbing victim Matthew Williams, outside the High Court at Hamilton after her brother's killer, Bailey Ecclestone, was jailed for four years and 10 months. Photo / Belinda Feek

Support workers live in the residence on 24-hour shifts, with different support workers rostered on during the week - however, no one was working on the night of Williams’ death.

Ecclestone was playing PlayStation in his room when Pitcaithly knocked on his door and confronted him about making a mess in the communal kitchen and getting a knife stuck in the sink.

He denied the accusations and the pair argued, and Ecclestone picked up the knife and threatened to cut Pitcaithly’s neck open.

Williams, who was visiting a friend, tried to defuse the situation but was stabbed.

Other residents rushed to his aid and tried to staunch the heavy bleeding, as emergency services were called.

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‘Everything got out of control’

Ecclestone penned a remorse letter, which his counsel Rob Weir read, apologising for the hurt and loss he’d caused.

“Everything got out of control and for that I’m sorry.

“I don’t expect to be forgiven, I just want you to know that I never wanted this to happen.”

Meanwhile, Weir told Justice van Bohemen although mental health experts had not diagnosed Ecclestone with a mental disorder, he had a “very real disability”.

“Autism is a significant disability which undeniably has contributed to these tragic, tragic circumstances.

“The fact that his autism has contributed to his offending is a factor that can be recognised by you,” he told the judge.

Justice van Bohemen ultimately agreed and also acknowledged Ecclestone’s upbringing, which saw his aunt take over his care when he was 2 years old before he had a chance encounter with his mother at the age of 10.

It was then he was diagnosed with ADHD and his behaviour worsened. He was bullied at school and considered a risk to the safety of other students.

He grew up having difficulties in social settings and had very few friends. He was diagnosed with autism in 2018.

Ecclestone wanted to become a chef and told report writers in the lead-up to the stabbing, other residents had been picking on him.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.