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Indian woman sentenced in New Zealand toddler attack
Her lawyer acknowledged the extreme violence but cited her psychological state and difficult personal circumstances.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 14, Aug 2026
- 04:58 EDT
- 26
Representative image / Pexels
An Indian woman, Alka Dahiya, has been sentenced to five years and one month in prison in New Zealand for attempting to murder a toddler with a meat cleaver.
Dahiya was sentenced on August 13, 2026, in the High Court at Hamilton for the July 16, 2024 attack in Ngāruawāhia, Waikato. The child, who knew Dahiya and cannot be publicly identified, suffered deep wounds to his neck, face and wrist and required medical treatment.
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Justice Mathew Downs said the toddler may have sustained a brain injury with potentially lasting effects on learning and behaviour. He also noted significant scarring to the child's neck.
The court heard that Dahiya deliberately selected the meat cleaver because she considered it the sharpest knife she owned. She placed the child on a yoga mat before attacking him. Afterward, the child became unresponsive, while Dahiya injured herself and called for help.
Dahiya later told police that she had intended to kill the child. She pleaded guilty to attempted murder in July 2025.
The Crown argued that the severity of the injuries demonstrated a clear intention to kill and sought a starting sentence of up to 12 years. Attempted murder carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in New Zealand.
Her lawyer acknowledged the extreme violence but cited her psychological state and difficult personal circumstances. The court heard that Dahiya had experienced substantial upheaval, including difficulties learning English, the breakdown of a marriage in India, losing custody of her daughter, immigration to New Zealand and entering an arranged marriage.
Psychiatric evidence described her as having gone through an acute psychological crisis, although one psychiatrist clarified that this was not a formal psychiatric diagnosis.
Justice Downs initially set the sentencing starting point at 10 years and six months, then reduced the sentence because of Dahiya's mental-health difficulties and applied further discounts.
The final sentence was five years and one month.
The judge told Dahiya: “You made a sustained attempt on [the victim's] life in an extraordinarily brutal manner. He could well have died. You intended he would.”
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