Murdered teen’s dad to stay in NZ

Associate Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi is after a ‘‘please explain’’ from Immigration New Zealand officials after he intervened to stop a man being deported.

Yesterday, Mark Middleton, the stepfather of murdered Lower Hutt teenager Karla Cardno, learned that he will not be deported.

He had earlier this month been ordered to leave the country, despite spending most of his life in New Zealand.

When contacted about the u-turn, Middleton said he would celebrate the news by spending quality, ‘‘quiet time’’ with his family. ‘‘I’m feeling better than yesterday. I can go ahead with life now.’’

He said he was at work when he was arrested and told he had overstayed for

30 years. ‘‘I came here in 1962 with my parents. I grew up here. This has always been my home.’’

In 1989 his 13-year-old stepdaughter Karla was kidnapped, raped and murdered in Lower Hutt by Paul Dally. In 2001 Middleton was sentenced to nine months in prison over death threats he made against Dally.

A spokesperson for Faafoi said the minister had considered and made a decision in regard to the request for intervention for Middleton.

‘‘The minister will not be commenting further on this case other than to note that he will speak with Immigration New Zealand to discuss the circumstances of the case and to ensure any possible lessons have been learned.’’

Middleton was served a deportation notice on April 10 after he was arrested at work by Immigration New Zealand and police, despite having already arranged to meet them later in the day. Middleton arrived in New Zealand from England in

1962 as a four-year-old, with his family.

On Sunday, Middleton said he had been in contact with INZ officers and arranged to meet them at 4pm and was surprised when they appeared at his workplace with the police, acting aggressively toward him. ‘‘They were quite hostile. I can’t imagine they’d treat many people like that. It was a real shock the way they behaved. I’ve always respected the police, they are the ones who found my daughter, why would I run from them? Why would I?’’

Middleton had said he was concerned he could be deported because the system had failed him and his family before.

INZ general manager Peter Devoy said last week that Middleton was served a deportation order on April 10 as he had been living unlawfully in New Zealand since December 23, 1986.

‘‘He came to the attention of INZ last year as his identity was on a pool of unlawful historical clients who could be living in the Wellington area.’’

Middleton was issued a 30-day visitor visa in November 1986 after returning from a holiday, but Devoy said he did not have valid re-entry permission.

Middleton’s lawyer, Keith Jefferies, said the situation had been totally unacceptable and put it down to a ‘‘bureaucratic bungle’’.

‘‘This man arrived in 1962 with four siblings as a pre-approved immigrant. The other siblings all have permanent residence and citizenship, it looks like there’s been a bureaucratic bungle.’’

It appeared Middleton’s immigrant status had not been recorded correctly, an ‘‘outrageous incompetence’’, Jefferies said. ‘‘You can’t blame him – he came here as a 4-year-old.’’

‘‘This has always been my home.’’

Mark Middleton