‘Bragging’ led to beating

Press, 13 February 1981, Page 5

‘Bragging’ led to beating

PA Auckland A .broken treaty between the King Cobra and Headhunters gangs yvas one of the events that led to an assault on a teenage -girl, the trial of five young people on a charge of the murder of Marion Cotton heard in the High Court at Auckland. The Court heard an alleged statement by one of the accused that as the five had beaten Miss Cotton, aged 13, they, hadcalled her a “K.C. scrubber.” The accused are Phillip Douglas Mattheyv, aged 18, a labourer, of Glenfield; Deliah Lianne . Manga, aged 19. an unemployed yvardsmaid, of Grafton; Reuben. Wahayvaha Wikotu, aged 21, a labourer, of Glenfield; Clifford Vern Rowland, aged 18, an unemployed labourer, of Birkdale; and Leah Charmaine Ashby, aged 17, an unemployed machinist, of Henderson. They . have pleaded' not guilty to the charge of the murder of Miss Cotton, arid not guilty to a charge of causing her grievous bodily harm. Rowland and Ashby, have pleaded not guilty also to a charge of injuring her with intent. The trial is before Mr Justice Sinclair and an allmale jury. Most of the. evidence was given by policemen yvho interviewed the accused separately about seven hours after Miss Cotton had been admitted to Auckland Hospital yvith severe injuries. The Crown alleges' the accused .all assaulted Miss Cotton on the morning of April 17 after drinking sherry all night. Manga allegedly told Detective C. J. Reid that the group of young people had gone to Myers Park yvith eight bottles and two flagons of sherry. After about, an hour the group had gone to the old Waitemata City Council building to find a pay packet Wikotu had lost. In a question-and-answer intervietv recited to the Court by Detective Reid, and a statement allegedly made and signed by Manga, descriptions were given of the hours , from 9 p.m; on April 16 to 7 aim. on April 17 spent by the group in the building. Manga at times wept in the dock as the evidence yvas given and, as she hung her head, yvas consoled by Ashby beside her. Manga had . said that “Cookie” (Miss Cotton) had; bragged ' about the King Cobra gang and Manga had got wild and smashed her "untold times” in the face with her fists. The boys had then said they yvere going to "put ‘Cookie’ on the block” and, with- Ashby, Manga had left the room yvhile the boys had sex with Miss Cotton. Afterwards, Miss Cotton had not looked hurt. She. had appeared to be asleep. Wikotu had taken Miss

Cotton for a short yvalk in Myers Park, after yvhich the group had stayed inside the building sleep-, ing and drinking. Ashby and Manga had led Miss Cotton out of the. building, Manga told Detective Reid, and they had begun to beat up Miss Cotton again. “Every time I looked at her I got wild,” Manga is alleged to have said. The boys joined them, and Rowland told the girls to leave Miss Cotton alone. The boys then began to .beat her up. Wikotu punched her in the face, she fell down, and the three boys began to kick her all over. Miss Cotton, bleeding badly, yvas taken into the toilet to clean her up. There, said Manga,, she was given another hiding “by me,” the Court heard. 1 Miss Cotton yvas then lying on the floor and Manga had tried to yvash her face. “The others” had taken off, and Manga asked a painter outside to call an ambulance. Then, Manga is alleged to have said, she thought. Miss Cotton was dead because she could not breathe. When the ambulance left the scene Manga said she had walked off down the road. Detective Reid said he asked Manga if she got along with the King Cobra gang very well. “Manga replied: ‘No. Their treaty broke last week because Bim (Matthews) got a hiding from their president.’ “I asked: ‘ls that yvhy they blocked “Cookie,” because she is from the King Cobra?’ and she replied: ‘Yes.’ “I asked: ‘ls it true that you got blocked by the King Cobras?’ and she said: ‘Yes, three weeks ago.’ ” “I asked: ‘So that is why you gave “Cookie” a hiding?’ and she said: ‘yes’.” Manga had said that whenever the King Cobras met the Headhunters there was a fight. Wikotu, yvas a “scalp” (a member of the Scalphunters), and the other tyvo boys yvere “Heads” (Headhunters). Detective Reid said Manga was then arrested on a charge of assault on a female because Miss Cotton was then still alive. Detective Constable K. R. Jensen said he had intervieyved Matthews, yvho had said he was too drunk to have intercourse with Miss Cotton. He denied having “put the boot in,” and- alleged that it was one of the girls who yvas kicking Miss Cotton, and it had been he and his mate who had helped Miss Cotton get her jeans on again. When they yvere all carrying Miss Cotton downstairs she had been “going crazy” so Matthews said he gave her a couple of whacks to keep her down, and his mate “gave her a couple of boots in the guts.” '

When he yvas intervieyved,. Matthews said he yvas willing to make a statement so that he could tell' his side of the story ’ and so that no-one could blame him for anything he had not done. He said he had been drinking rum all day on April 16 and yvas drunk in the. afternoon before he met Miss Cotton and the other accused. Detective T. J. Baker, said he intervieyved Wikotu, yvho said he had been kissing Manga that night. A dispute developed between Miss Cotton and Manga because Manga said she had been set up by Miss Cotton for a group rape by the King Cobra gang. Miss Cotton had told Manga that she had been “blocked,” too, so Wikotu and Matthews had decided to “try her” and see if she yvas telling the truth. When Wikotu had sex yvith Miss Cotton she had been unconscious from bloyvs Manga had struck at her. He described having intercourse with Miss Cotton and, “I kneyv she yvas a virgin because it hurt her so much and so she had told lies about being blocked by the K.C.s.” Wikotu said he and Matthews had then “punched her over” for telling lies. Detective Baker said Wikotu admitted in the question-and-answer interview that he had kicked Miss Cotton four or five times in the head. They had all kicked Miss Cotton. In a written statement later, Wikotu said he had kicked Miss Cotton with his boots three times. “She was badly hurt,” Wikotu is alleged to have said. “I said, ‘Good job, because she set Deliah up to .get blocked by the KCs, and Deliah is a good chick’.” The KCs, he said, were always fighting yvith the Scalphunters. To counsel for Wikotu (Mr R. Harrison) Detective Baker said Wikotu had been very helpful in the interview. The yvitness said he kneyv of the Scalphunters as one of the junior gangs yvhose members yvere aged between 12 or 13 and 16 or 17. He agreed with Mr Harrison that Wikotu’s previous convictions yvere for dishonesty and cannabis use, but none for offences against the person,; such as assault. Detective Cohstable D.W. Keys said he interviewed Rowland, who Referred to Ashby as "his “missus.” Royvland said that Miss Cotton “hangs out with the K.C.s” and that Manga yvas pregnant because she had been raped. There had been a continuing argument between Manga and Miss Cotton and he once yvhacked Manga and Miss Cotton on the shoulders or the arms and told them to shut up. He told them he did net yvant Manga to

beat anyone up "on the job” at the .Waitemata City Council building. “After I tbld Deliah (Manga) she could not slan ‘Cookie’ around, she got into a grump yvith me, too,” Rowland is alleged to have told Detective Keys. "1 told them to leave ‘Cookie’ atone and they just told me to shut up.” Rowland said that he and Ashby had put Miss Cotton’s jeans back on and. after they had all, including Rowland, punched Miss Cotton, he and Ashby had mopped up the blood on the floor. To counsel for Rowland (Mr K. Ryan) Detective Keys said he could not recall Rowland’s saying in the interview that Manga had been mad drunk and that they did not know yvhat she yvas doing. Detective Keys said he did not hear Rowland say that Matthews had hit him on the back. Detective Sergeqnt G. J. Bell said Ashby yvas at first arrogant and difficult to talk to yvhen he approached her at Mission Bay on the afternoon of April 17. •When he said that Miss Cotton might die, Ashby had started to cry and said she did not yvant her to die. At the police station, Ashby allegedly told the yvitness: “Deliah yvas the one that did her over.” Ashby allegedly said she had hit Miss Cotton but she did not kick her. Referring to Royvland, Ashbv had said: “My boyfriend ‘Muff’ was the only one of the boys/yvho did not block her.” In a yvritten statement, Ashby had said (hat it yvas obvious Miss Cotton did not yvant to be raped but she yvas too drunk to prevent it. All three boys had beaten up Miss Cotton and called her a “K.C. scrubber,” and then the girls had done the same. Rowland had stopped Ashby, yvho had then put Miss Cotton’s jeans on and laid her doyvn on the floor “to let her have a sleep.” Miss Cotton had been calling out to Manga, saying she loved her and that she yvas her mother. The girls had then left the building. and yvhen they returned she had a different appearance and “it yvas obvious the boys had been at her again.” When she could see better in the morning, Ashby’s statement said, it was clear, that Miss Cotton yvas in a bad yvay and Ashby got really scared. She did not know why she had done it, but presumed she had had too much to drink.