MAORI ON TRIAL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 106, 6 May 1943, Page 6

MAORI ON TRIAL

RIFLE SHOTS FIRED VERDICT OF INTIMIDATION The trial of Koni Thompson, a Maori farmer of Punuruku, near Russell, 43 (Mr. Henry),,on, charges of having attempted to murder Ngaio .Moses Davis, w«th minor counts of discharging a rifle to disable and to intimidate Davis, was continued before Mr. Justice Fair and a juiy in the Supreme Court to-day. The allegation by the Crown, for whom Mr V R. Meredith prosecuted, was that, on March 14, at his ..home, Thompson, after a quarrel witn n« wife, fired a rifle through a wmctow in the house where Davis (a boarcien and accused's wife and family were, the aim being directed at a- window where Davis was standing. Evidence was given to this effect by Davis, who denied that there was any cause for jealousy by Thompson. He said Thompson's motive was not jealousy, but he had threatened his wife at various times, and after the shooting had said he was angry because Davis had several times stopped his enlisting in the army. To Mr. Meredith this witness, who had admitted to Mr. Henry having been in gaol for a sexual offence, explained that this had occurred 13 years ago, when he was sentenced to three months. _ Accused's oldest son, Sidney Ernest Thompson, aged 17, corroborated Davis' account of the shooting. The previous night his father and mother had been quarrelling. After the shooting his father and said he didn t intend to hit anybody. Similar evidence was given by two younger sons of accused. Detective G. S. Miller, of Whangarei, read a statement made by accused on arrest, in which he said lie and his wife had been happy until Davis came to live with them. He had fired the rifle, he said, to frighten his wife and Davis. He could easily have shot Davis if.he had wished to. This concluded the Crown case, and Mr. Henry addressed the jury, stressing that the Crown had not proved the major charge of attempting murder. The circumstances clearly indicated that there was no intention to kill on accused's part. After his Honor had summed up, the jury was occupied for an hour and a half considering its verdict, and returned with a verdict of "guilty" on count three, that accused discharged the rifle with intent to intimidate. The foreman added that the jury was cf opinion that accused acted under extreme provocation. It found him not guilty on the counts of attempted murder, intent to disable and assault. Accused was remanded for sentence.