Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Cottam:

Police acknowledges the guilty plea delivered in the Christchurch High Court today [Friday 9 November].

We hope this will go some way to assisting the Naicker family, as well as Asveen Sharan and his family, to move on with their lives, without having to go through a court trial.

I believe the tragic set of circumstances resulting in the loss of Keshni Naicker’s life was avoidable.

It highlights the need for people to reach out for support in times of relationship breakdown and stress.

Police and our partner agencies are here to help – these include Women’s Refuge, Shakti, Aviva, Te Whare Ora, He Waka Tapu, Stopping Violence Services, and It’s Not Okay, to name a few.

I hope that Keshni’s life was not lost in vain, and that people who need it will reach out for help to prevent anyone else being hurt or killed as a result of family harm.

This is particularly important in New Zealand’s immigrant communities, where people may be unsure of the support that is available from both Government and non-Government organisations.

These organisation can, and want to, help people in need, and can help you access other assistance if needed.

I would also like to acknowledge the brave actions of three young women and a man who went to the aid of Keshni on September 15 and challenged the offender to put down the knife.

What they saw was truly horrific and I would not wish that on anybody.

However, their actions were selfless, and for them to still help was truly courageous.

ENDS

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