Verdict of guilty in stabbing case

Press, 15 August 1980, Page 5

Verdict of guilty in stabbing case

A man was found guilty I by a jury in the High Court! yesterday on charges involving the stabbing of a showman at the Industries Fair in August last year, and assaulting another showman. The accused, Allan Harwood, had denied a charge of assaulting Murray George Pickup by punching him and alternative charges of injuring James Matewaka Kahu Koti with intent to cause him grevious bodily harm, or injuring Mr Koti with intent to injure him. The jury- found- the- accused guilty of the assault on Mr Pickup, and also guilty of the lesser of the alternative counts, of injuring Mr Koti with intent to injure him. This offence involved his stabbing Mr Koti in the stomach with ’a knife, said to have had a blade about Bcm long.

Mr Justice Somers remanded the accused in custody to August 22 for sentence.

The jury took two hours to reach its verdict. The trial began on Tuesday, and Crown and defence evidence, and final addresses, were completed on Wednesday. His Honour summed up yesterday, before the jury retired.

Mr G. K. Panckhurst appeared for the Crown, and Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon and Mr E. Bedo for the accused. Crown evidence in the case was that the accused and a ’ companion, after drinking with showmen in a caravan at the Industries Fair late on Sunday evening, August 19, left the caravan after midnight. The accused had said he wanted a battery which he had seen in

the sideshow area, and had then punched Mr Pickup. After Mr Koti had gone to i the scene he was punched! by the accused, but retaliated. While lying on the ac-j cused and punching him he was stabbed in the stomach. Defence evidence and submissions were that the -accused acted in self-defence after being attacked in' 'the sideshow area.

The accused said he had no clear record of an assault on Mr Pickup. He hit on the side of the neck and somebody landed on him when he fell back. -■

He said he was winded and in being squashed and hit must have pulled his knife as a reflex action.

He did not know whether he stabbed Mr Koti, and if so it was not done intentionally.