A former flatmate of a man alleged to have stabbed another man outside a suburban Auckland tennis club says the accused once threatened him, leaving him anxious to know he could have acted on his threats.  

Stephen Thorpe, 54, died at the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club on August 24. His alleged killer, a 26-year-old local man, was arrested less than a week later and had his first appearance in court on Thursday, August 29. He was granted interim name suppression. 

The former flatmate recounted his first meeting with the accused when he moved into the house, saying the man immediately alleged he had been stalking him. 

“He had some thoughts I was like some crazy person that was stalking him. Obviously, I was just an acquaintance of his – I had never met him before. 

“We were just having a chit chat and then he started to think I was working against him and he started getting very paranoid.” 

He said the man threatened him on a messaging platform, which he alerted his landlord to. He said the accused got upset the landlord had been contacted. 

Police were allegedly then involved, after which the accused stopped living at the flat. 

“The thing that terrifies me is that you know, now he has allegedly done something so bad, it feels like that could have been me. That’s very scary.” 

Other residents of the “quiet and safe” suburb were terrified after learning the man alleged to have stabbed and killed Thorpe had lived locally. 

Police were at a house belonging to people known to the man on Thursday afternoon last week. Neighbours told the Herald they had seen investigators trawling the property for evidence since his arrest on Wednesday, August 28. 

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Another former flatmate of the accused told the Herald the man rarely engaged with his housemates, preferring to keep to himself in his room. 

“Mostly he was always in his room. He wouldn’t say hello to anybody and all that. 

“He did have some girlfriends, they were coming and meeting him, and [he was] going out with them also. He had a beautiful car.” 

Neighbours said they were not familiar with the occupants. 

They felt uneasy seeing police in the neighbourhood, had been left scared after the stabbing at their local park, and were concerned by the developments. 

“It’s so horrifying,” one neighbour said. 

“I thought this was a safe place. But when I heard about that incident on Saturday ... I was just so concerned about what’s happening,” she said. 

Another neighbour said “it was really sad that Stephen died, and really scary” his alleged killer could have been nearby. 

“It’s such a lovely neighbourhood. It’s amazing,” they said. 

“But it’s really terrifying, especially considering you know, there are kids around, there’s a park here, and the kids walk around here all the time. It’s just really scary to think that it might not be safe.” 

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.