Christchurch police close to arresting psychiatric patient before murder - inquest

Christchurch police were close to arresting a psychiatric patient for attacking a nurse shortly before he murdered a woman while on community leave from Hillmorton Hospital, an inquest has heard.

Laisa Waka Tunidau was stabbed to death by Zakariye Mohamed Hussein outside her Sockburn home on 25 June 2022.

Hussein was jailed for life with a non-parole period of 13 years in November that year.

He had previously been jailed for more than six years for kidnapping, stabbing and intimidating people across Christchurch in March 2012.

At the time of Waka Tunidau's death, Hussein was allowed to leave Hillmorton on unescorted community leave but failed to return when required.

On Tuesday, the inquest heard a nurse had complained that Hussein had tried to stab her in the neck with a shank in December 2021 but she was able to fend him off.