Six years jail for ‘gentle’ man

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 13

Six years jail for ‘gentle’ man

NZPA Auckland] ■ vAn Auckland artist, Don- ] aldCleaver Kelsey, said by 1 Ms counsel to be “a gentle, artistic person,” was, sentenced to six years im- , prlsonment for manslaughter , tvhen he appeared in the ' , High Court at Auckland. . -Kelsey, ' aged 25, was 1 found guilty' of manslaughter -after ...a week-long murder trial’in the High Court at Gisborne. He appeared in Auckland . before Mr Justice Quilliam for sentencing. •' -Kelsey was charged that . cn. March 23 at Te Piki, near Cape Runaway, he murdered Gary Allan-Goddard. ■ : . -v A . ‘.’not guilty” plea hpd ‘ been entered. Tne jury.heard 1 Kelsey-tell ’.qw he had confronted Mr- woddard. about money owed to him. and. had /hitj him after being turned •on with a loaded shotgun. •)He-was-foufut gUilty-of mani slaughter. * ’ ' ” s r \ His Honour said , he had

no option but to sentence Kelsey to a period of imprisonment for a crime which had the appearance of being cold and calculating. Kelsey’s counsel, Mr P. A. Williams, told the Court that his client was ,a gentle, artistic person who had no history: of:violence. He said it was obvious that on March 28, when > Kelsey found himself in .a- situation where he: was confronted by a man with. a shotgun, he had reacted out. of character. His Honour said he accepted that Kelsey was not. violent, but the nature and extent of the injuries to Mr Goddard’s -head left no other conclusion than that the blows were’ delivered. with great force. .. ; - “This is. seemingly out of character, but I cannot put aside the .hiding of the body arid 1 the prefabrication of a story- to ' shift interest from himself,” His Honour said.