Basil Anderson jnr was sentenced in the High Court at New Plymouth for the manslaughter of his father, Basil Anderson snr.
A man began using methamphetamine to “help him” with his gym workouts but soon became so deluded by the drug that he believed he had been hypnotised and was under the “mind control” of his father.
Basil Anderson jnr’s drug-addled state had tragic consequences for his father, Basil Anderson snr, when he was stabbed to death by his son in August last year.
“He has now woken up from the worst nightmare you can imagine,” defence lawyer Nathan Bourke said at Anderson jnr’s sentencing today.
“If ever there was a lesson about the harm and damage caused by meth - this is it.”
The 36-year-old appeared in the High Court at New Plymouth for sentencing on an admitted charge of manslaughter.
He had originally been charged with murder but that was reduced after it was accepted that he did not have murderous intent at the time he killed his father, due to his mental state.
Anderson jnr and his 60-year-old father were “best friends” who lived at the same property in Pātea, South Taranaki, and worked together.
Now, he lived with “indescribable” regret and hoped that his family could find some forgiveness towards him, although he did not expect it, the court heard.
According to the summary of facts, Anderson jnr called 111 twice on August 23 last year in an agitated state.
He requested police assistance and claimed to have been hypnotised.
“He said he had been under mind control since he was 15 years, had just woken up and could not remember his life,” the summary stated.
Anderson snr spoke with the call taker and advised that his son was sleep deprived, confused and was having memory issues.
They were encouraged to call mental health services.
Later that day, Anderson jnr’s sister called 111 with concerns about a family harm incident involving him and their father.
However, when police arrived, Anderson jnr was calm and co-operative.
He admitted to officers he had been using meth and had woken up confused, hallucinating and had accused his father of hypnotising him.
However, he said he had since “snapped out of it”.
Police left the property after encouraging medical advice and support to be sought for Anderson jnr, and Anderson snr had expressed he felt safe at the house.
The following morning, Anderson jnr’s sister phoned the police again, reporting that he was trying to stab their father.
An ambulance and police were sent to the property, but in the meantime, Anderson jnr called emergency services and said he needed help as he had just “woken up from a daydream” and from being under “MK Ultra mind control”.
He said he had stabbed his father but he was still alive.
When authorities arrived, Anderson snr was found critically injured on the floor of one of the bedrooms.
He was given CPR but was declared dead soon after.
Anderson jnr was arrested at the scene and when spoken to by police, he repeated his claims of having been under mind control.
He said he stabbed his father with a butcher’s knife and “I should have taken the c***’s head off”.
An autopsy later found Anderson snr had been stabbed four times and suffered additional incised wounds, including to his head, chest, arms, leg, abdomen and back.
It concluded that an abdominal stab wound injured his aorta and caused a large amount of bleeding, resulting in his death.
At sentencing, Bourke said Anderson jnr had been a cannabis user for much of his life, and three months before he killed his father, he began using meth.
At the time, he was looking for an advantage at the gym, was feeling unwell, and was unable to function properly.
“He starts looking into methamphetamine and, probably a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life, accepts a friend’s suggestion that that’ll be a good thing,” Bourke told the court.
Anderson jnr had recovered from his short-term psychosis once the meth had worn off, and Bourke said his client would never touch the drug again.
Crown prosecutor Holly Bullock sought an end sentence of seven years and six months’ imprisonment, submitting that the aggravating factors included extreme violence, use of a weapon, serious injuries, as well as a limited degree of premeditation, the victim’s vulnerability, and that the offending involved a home invasion.
While Bullock said any remorse should be assessed by the judge, she rejected that Anderson jnr should receive credit for his mental health, submitting that had already been considered in the amendment to the original charge.
“I also note that the offender’s mental state was induced by his voluntary consumption of methamphetamine,” she said.
But Bourke, who argued for an end sentence of no more than six years imprisonment, emphasised the impact the drug use had on his client’s mental health, particularly in the week leading up to the killing of Anderson snr.
“Mr Anderson’s drug use and mental health are the cause of this offending. But for it, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Bourke rejected that the offending was premeditated, that Anderson snr was vulnerable and that a home invasion had occurred.
The offending was “the product of [Anderson jnr] being grossly unwell, delusional and having hallucinations”, Anderson snr was “a man of the land” and while older than his son, there was no evidence he was frail or vulnerable, and Anderson jnr was at the house lawfully, Bourke submitted.
However, he accepted that violence and the use of a weapon were aggravating factors, as well as serious injuries, but noted that the stab wounds were limited to four, among the 31 injuries.
Justice Paul Radich took a starting point of nine years and six months’ imprisonment before applying credit for Anderson jnr’s guilty plea.
He did not accept that Anderson snr was vulnerable, that a home invasion was involved, or that the offending was premeditated.
Justice Radich found Anderson jnr’s actions were a result of his delusional state of mind at the time but said that was due to his drug use, and was not a factor that could reduce culpability.
However, he said Anderson jnr’s diagnosed substance abuse disorder was a mitigating factor, for which he allowed a discount, in addition to credit for his genuine remorse.
Anderson jnr was imprisoned for six years.
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 and is currently an assistant editor and reporter for the Open Justice team. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.