Stabbing-charge trial opens

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 5

Stabbing-charge trial opens

The trial began in the High Court yesterday of a motor-cycle gang member who is alleged to have stabbed a showman, and assaulted another, in the sideshow area of the Industries Fair in August last year. i The defendant, Allan Harwood, aged 24, faces a charge of assaulting Murray George Pickup, and alternative charges of injuring James Matewaka Kahu Koti' with intent to cause him 1 grievous bodily harm, or in-] juring Mr Koti with intent' to injure him. ; He has denied the charges! and elected trial by jury. The case is being heard; before Mr Justice Somers j and a jury. It was adjourned; to today after the Crown’s' case had opened yesterday; and .four, witnesses hadgiven evidence. Mr G. K. Panckhurst appears for the Crown. The defendant is represented by Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon and Mr E. Bedo. Mr Panckhurst, opening! the Crown’s case, traversed! details of the incident which,! he said, allegedly occurred; after the accused and a com-! panion had left a caravan at] which showmen, who were, at the Addington Show-i grounds for the Industries! Fair, were Having a party. ! The accused had been! wearing Epitaph Riders’ motor-cycle gang insignia, and his companion Antarctic Angels, Invercargill, gang insignia. The accused had been seenl

iiwith a knife in his pocket,) tland the assaults allegedly oc-| ricurred after he said he !'wanted a car battery which- - he had seen in the sideshow! -area. ; The accused was not ap-l jprehended until December! ■i26, four months after the ini cident, which allegedly oc-‘ curred soon after midnight- ■ on August 20. Mr Pickup gave evidence 'that he spoke to the accused .and his companion about; ! motor-cycles during the ;! evening. He noticed the !handle of a knife protruding ‘from the accused’s rear '! pocket. He said that after the .two' jleft he went outside with) Devon Stewart. They saw: 'the two outside and accom-! ipanied them through the; .'sideshow area. A battery was discussed; in the chair-o-plane area. Mr Pickup left briefly and when! he returned he was punched] in the face by the accused.' He fell to the ground and; [the accused kept coming to-! I wards him. I He said he and Mr Stew-; lart “took off.” ! Cross-examined, he said, ihe began drinking about s;' ;p.m. and was “fairly well (under the weather” when! [the “bikies” arrived. I Ross Alan Pettigrew, a (surgeon, said Mr Koti was] : admitted to hospital with:' three wounds which were; consistent ■ with knife stab 1 wounds. One to the stomach, : about 2cm wide, penetrated ; i about Bcm through the 1

'abdominal cavity and a ■'short distance into the liver. >i The liver had stopped ([bleeding and the wound required no further treatment. The other wounds were to (the right chest and the back. ■i Mr Koti said that when ■told that Mr Pickup had ■‘been “knocked over” he "went to the area and saw the accused holding a car battery. He asked what was going ion and the accused punched him in the face. He got up and chased the ; accused and a scuffle took place. He was lying on the 'accused and punched him. Mr Koti said he did not ■see the accused draw a knife, but felt a pain in his ■ stomach. He was then ■ stabbed in the back by the j accused’s friend. I The two then ran off. I Cross-examined, Mr Koti i denied that he “hated !bikies.” I He also denied that he and [a number of others had gone [out to “get” the bikies, or deliberately tried to assault the accused and his companion. Devon Keppeni Stewart, a ; former showman, gave evi[dence that the accused and his companion called, wanting to know where a party was. I He saw the accused carried a dagger-type knife and later, outside; saw him punch Mr Pickup. He ran to the caravan to get help.