A man’s infatuation with a woman he falsely claimed he was in a relationship with became so intense that she feared for her and her husband’s safety.

For three months last year, Christopher Charles Knight emailed, texted, and posted online messages wrongly claiming the victim was his girlfriend and professing his love for her.

“I’ve done nothing but luv u all my life,” the Te Kūiti man messaged her.

Knight continued his “erratic and out of control” behaviour even once the victim had sought a criminal harassment notice from police.

Today, the 61 year old appeared in the Hamilton District Court where he was sentenced on two charges of criminal harassment, causing harm by posting digital communications to two police officers, and firearms and ammunition charges.

The woman said in her victim impact statement that Knight scared her.

“I will not forget how you made me feel.”

However, she has since received an apology letter from him which she accepted.

The court heard Knight was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

‘We would be so good together’

In October 2023, Knight lost a close family member which saw his behaviour become “erratic and aggressive”.

After first making contact with the victim about an unrelated matter in April last year, Knight became infatuated with her, sending her unwanted sexually explicit messages, and believed that he was in a relationship with her.

She reported it to police on May 24, and then on June 3 he was served with a criminal harassment notice.

But he continued.

He emailed her on June 10 and 12 but on June 21, she read a social media post where he called her his “longest-running girlfriend”.

“U are my dearest friend and always will be.”

Contact continued and on June 29 he emailed saying, “please forgive me for being a dick”.

Soon after the victim unblocked and messaged him, again urging him to stop what he was doing.

But Knight responded on July 2 by stating “I’ve done nothing but luv u all my life”.

“I know if we got together we would be so good and I would luv u unconditionally.

“I’ve been so worried I’d never see u again I luv u always have.”

In other offending, Knight had earlier, on May 23 last year, been served a notice suspending his firearm licence.

However, he failed to drop his firearms at Kawhia police station.

Concerned about his behaviour, family removed a firearm from his vehicle for safekeeping.

Police searched his house and garage on May 29 and found 74 rounds of shotgun ammunition.

Soon after, between May 24 and July 2, Knight posted 12 comments on social media abusing the arresting officers, labelling one an “a***hole”.

“u tried picking on me u fat prick, didn’t work ... meet me I’ll waste you,” he wrote.

“[officer] for your own safety ID leave town.” [sic]

Knight was arrested on July 3. When police searched his property the next day they found 45 12-gauge shotgun rounds, 113 .22 rounds, an air rifle, silencer, and 26 rounds of other rifle ammunition.

A photo of one of the officers was found on a coffee table in the lounge, while 12 spent shotgun shells were found around the property, along with several duck carcasses in a wheelbarrow.

‘Erratic and aggressive’

Last month, Knight accepted a sentence indication from Judge Glen Marshall who today said what struck him from reading all the evidence and observing Knight earlier, was “just how erratic and aggressive and out of control you were at that time”.

“What nobody appreciated then, including yourself, was that overuse of alcohol combined with a recent tragedy in your life had brought on a very unusual situation where you developed a mental health condition, bipolar disorder.

“That was not something that could be predicted,” the judge said.

“Now that your bipolar condition is treated and under control I can see a huge change both in you and the way you present now, and I can only hope that you continue with that treatment.”

He hoped Knight would return to being the “worthwhile member of the community that you always were”.

Judge Marshall sentenced him to three months’ community detention, 18 months’ intensive supervision and ordered he pay $1000 emotional harm reparation to the woman.

He was also ordered not to use or possess any alcohol or drugs and to complete any appropriate rehabilitative programmes as required.

Judge Marshall also ordered the forfeiture of the weapons and ammunition.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 10 years and has been a journalist for 21.