AFFRAY IN HUT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 79, 13 January 1945, Page 5

AFFRAY IN HUT

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE CONVICTION ON LESSER COUNT. (P.A.) AUCKLAND, January 12. The sequel to an affray in a hut at a timber mill at Blakeney’s Point, near Katikati, on the night of December 20, was heard in the Tauranga. Police Court to-day when Thomas Joseph Buckley Prior, aged IS. was charged with attempting to murder his father, Thomas Leslie Prior, and also with causing actual bodily harm under circumstances that if death had been caused be would have been guilty of manslaughter. The father of the accused received a wound in his left thigh from a .22 calibre bullet. Detective Sergeant W. R. Murray prosecuted and accused was not represented by counsel.

Detective-Sergeant Murray said that accused was arrested for allegedly attempting to kill his father. Since then inquiries had been made, and it had been decided to prefer also a lesser charge against accused. This Avas in the nature of an alternative charge. It might well be that after hearing the evidence the Court might decide that the police had not proved that accused had attempted to kill his father., Thomas Leslie Prior, aged 42, said in evidence that lie was the father of seven children, accused being the second eldest. 1-Ie learned that his son was keeping company with a Maori girl who worked on a carrot patch near the mill. He first heard this information a Jew weeks before the accident. His wife also knew of it, and both he and his wife resented it. 1-Ie spoke to his son on several occasions about his association with the girl, but lie was very stubborn and did not wish it to be discussed. Witness said that on the night of December 20 he and accused had tea at a hut occupied by Mr and Mrs Tai and their family. They had a few drinks there, but he did not think his son was there at the time. Witness added that he was getting “well under the weather.” He believed he had a further discussion with his son about the girl. They had a bit of an argument, but he was not sure whether this occurred inside the hut or outside the door. The argument was about the girl. Accused resented it and then he went away. Witness said he had no idea of the time. He remembered very little until he saw a gun coming through the dooi*. Accused had the gun. He sang out something, hut witness could not remember what it was. Witness then pulled the gun by the barrel and it went off.

Constable Hunter read a statement made by accused in which he said he had no intention of shooting his father. He merely wished to frighten him. He stated that his father grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pulled it towards him. Accused said he must have had his finger on the trigger, and this caused the rifle to go off. The attempted murder charge was dismissed, and accused pleaded guilty to the second count and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.