Tom Coombes. Photo: Supplied / Facebook
Tom Coombes was walking home via a Mt Albert walkway when a young man, suffering from schizophrenia, armed with a large knife unleashed a "vicious, frenzied and unprovoked attack", despite attempts to ward off the man he was overpowered and died.
The now 24-year-old accused of Coombes' murder was arrested six days later in May 2022 after hiding from police in a wastewater tunnel behind his house.
On Thursday, Justice Ian Gault found the man had caused Coombes' death, but could not be held criminally responsible on account of insanity. Justice Gault acquitted the man remanding him at the Mason Clinic for a disposition hearing in March.
"This is a tragic case. Tom Coombes was killed as he walked home. It is not for me to determine whether [the defendant], who had been severely mentally unwell, should have been in the community at the time," Justice Gault said.
"Obviously the potential killing of another is murder and the Crown say [the accused] has been properly charged with killing Mr Coombes, or Tom. There can be no doubt he viscously inflicted stab wounds on Tom and killed him," prosecutor Mark Harborow said at the hearing on Wednesday.
Harborow said the evidence was clear the accused had been severely mentally unwell prior to killing Coombes and the question of whether or not he should have been in the community may be explored further.
"This is a true tragedy," Harborow said.
Police earlier said Coombes, a local resident, had been heading home when he was stabbed to death.
The accused suffers from a chronic schizoaffective disorder with psychotic symptoms and disorders of perception, delusions, cognition, and mood.
A morning vigil and "paddle out" was held at Bethells Beach to remember Tom Coombes. Photo: Brendon Dixon
On Wednesday, two psychiatrists, Dr Andrew Craig Immelman and Dr Kirshna Pillai gave evidence both agreeing the accused did not understand the moral wrongfulness of his actions at the time and believed he was being set up by God.
The pair agreed the accused understood he stabbed Coombes.
Dr Pillai said the potential for the accused to cause lethal violence on that day was very high.
Dr Immelman said in nearly 30 years it was hard for him to think of someone more psychotic than the accused, when he initially interviewed him in August 2022.
"I could not establish any rational reason why he would target Mr Coombes at that time. It is a point that I return to over and over with [the accused]. Where we landed was that [the accused] had seen three lights and heard God instruct him because it was a set up to target Mr Coombes. For me that is clear psychosis and in the absence of appreciation of moral wrongfulness/rightfulness," Immelman said.
Prior to the fatal stabbing, the accused had killed pukeko, something he had been doing since childhood, the court heard.
The psychiatrist said the accused did not go out seeking to kill Coombes, but was carrying knives to protect himself and potentially harm his neighbours, who he believed were conspiring against him.
"That's why I cannot make sense, except for psychosis, this poor young man would be targeted by [the accused]," Immelman said.
According to the summary of facts, the defendant was armed with large knife when he unleashed the vicious attack.
"Mr Coombes endeavoured to defend himself by raising his arms. This was ineffective as [the defendant] overpowered him. He continued striking Mr Coombes with the knife."
Coombes had 42 injuries to his chest, neck, face and head. Including one that penetrated his skull, causing significant blood loss.
Coombes fell onto the boardwalk and then onto the ground before he was found by members of the public.
The accused left the area to head towards his home, when he heard members of the public he walked off the boardwalk.
Once home, still carrying the knife, with Coombes' blood visible, he barged into his younger brother's room and showed him the knife saying "person's blood, human blood".
He changed his clothing, hid the knife in his mum's car and then left the address. He was found by police four days later in a wastewater tunnel.
At the time of his death, mother Rowena Coombes said there had been an outpouring of love.
"We're heartbroken. Tom was the best of us," she said.
Coombes was a qualified builder and enjoyed cycling and surfing, his mother said.
He had been walking home from university where he was studying photography - something his family referred to as his "passion" - when he was killed.
A morning vigil and "paddle out" was at Bethells Beach, where Coombes grew up and was a volunteer firefighter.
- This story was originally published by Stuff.