Jayden Kahi sentenced to two years in prison for murder of Indian tourist Mewa Singh

Sentencing of Jayden Kahi in the Christchurch High Court, 22 October 2024.
Photo: Things / Chris Skelton

• A man who killed a tourist he mistakenly thought was trying to kidnap his son near a Christchurch park has been jailed for two years.
• Sixty-year-old Mewa Singh, a visitor from India, died two days after he was attacked by Jayden Kahi near Linwood Park in April 2023.
• Singh’s son said his life turned upside down after his father’s death and he will always miss him.

A man who killed a tourist he mistakenly thought was trying to kidnap his son near a Christchurch park has been jailed for two years.

Sixty-year-old Mewa Singh, a visitor from India, died two days after he was attacked by a stranger near Linwood Park in April 2023.

Jayden Kahi pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Singh and was sentenced this morning in front of a packed public gallery in the Christchurch High Court.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Singh’s son said he was still struggling with the loss of his father.

“The defendant’s life has been turned upside down. No matter where we go or what we do, we will always miss our father,” he said.

As Kahi was led away after the verdict, cries of “love you” were heard from the public gallery.

The summary of facts said Singh was in New Zealand just four months before his death.

In April 2023, Kahi reportedly left his seven-year-old son alone in Linwood Park to teach him a lesson after he refused to go home with him.

Photo: Things / Chris Skelton

When Kahi returned, he saw an unknown man, later identified as Singh, holding his son’s hand near the bus stop and became “furious”.

Kahi yelled, “That’s my f—ing son,” told the man to take his hands off his son and pushed the man, the summary states.

The report said Kahi then drove his son back to his ex-partner’s house, where the son told him the man was “trying to walk him to his dad’s car.”

Kahi returned to Linwood Park and appeared before Singh, accusing him of trying to kidnap his son.

He pushed Singh and delivered a “haymaker-style punch” to his jaw, after which Singh fell and hit his head on the pavement.

The report said Singh suffered a skull fracture and internal bleeding and died two days later in Christchurch Hospital.

At Kahi’s sentencing, Crown prosecutor Christina Hallaway said Kahi’s crime led to “endless consequences” for Singh’s family.

harm” and that they will continue to grieve for the rest of their lives.

“The victim did nothing to provoke a confrontation. There is nothing to indicate that the victim did anything other than try to help the defendant’s son,” she said.

Kahi’s lawyer, Anselm Williams, said his client was extremely remorseful.

“He accepted that his actions caused the death of a person,” he said.

Williams said it was not a deliberate attack and Kahi acted impulsively.

Kahi has been on electronic bail for about 16 months and has been involved in mental health treatment and a violence prevention program during that time, Williams said.

Judge Melanie Harland told Kahi there was no doubt he was the aggressor in this situation.

“There is nothing to suggest that he (Singh) did anything to his son other than showing him kindness. This man was just trying to help the little boy, your son, who you left in the park,” she said. .

“Your actions show a man who was quick to anger that day.”

However, she acknowledged that Kahi had been “candid” with police and others about what he had done.

Judge Harland sentenced Kahi to two years in prison.