The family of a security guard, killed on his first day at work in Auckland almost two years ago, is worried that no one will ever be convicted of his murder.
A 28-year-old man, who cannot be named, was found not guilty on Thursday of the murder or manslaughter of Charanpreet Dhaliwal, 22. He was found guilty of an assault.
Mr Dhaliwal was four hours into the shift when he was attacked at a construction site in West Auckland in November 2011. During the trial, the court heard he was hit on the head a number of times with a wooden post.
Police say they are no longer actively investigating Mr Dhaliwal's death.
Mr Dhaliwal's mother and brother travelled from India for the trial, and his mother, Karamjit Kaur, said the verdicts left her in shock.
Mr Dhaliwal's brother, Chamanpreet Singh Dhaliwal, says the question of who's guilty will stay with them throughout their lives if the police don't find out who is responsible.
District manager of investigations at Waitemata Police, Detective Inspector Bruce Scott, says as no murder or manslaughter conviction has been entered the case will remain open but no one else will be charged in connection with Mr Dhaliwal's death.
He says police have exhausted all the leads in the case but would still welcome any information from the public.
Supreme Sikh Council spokesperson Daljit Singh said it was the job of the police to find out who killed Mr Dhaliwal, and it made no sense to stop the investigation.
