Pilot ‘ready to die’ for tour cause

Press, 4 August 1981, Page 1

Pilot ‘ready to die’ for tour cause

PA Hamilton A man whom the police said had intended to disrupt Springbok rugby matches was yesterday convicted; of unlawfully taking an aircraft and attempting to take an aircraft. He was remanded in custody to August 18 for a probation officer’s report and sentence.

The police had objected to bail, saying that the defendant, Pat Murray McQuarrie, aged 59, had taken a light aircraft from Taupo with the intention of crashing it into the grandstand at Rugby Park, Hamilton, and that the defendant was prepared to “die for his cause”. This was denied, by McQuarrie’s counsel, Mr Barry Littlewood, but Judge Richardson.said that he was not prepared to have on his conscience even the remotest possibility that that was likely to happen. McQuarrie, a control clerk, of Waiuku, had pleaded guilty to the charges.

The Court was told that the defendant had also tried to take an aircraft on the day of the Gisborne match.

Senior-Sergeant lan Paterson said that on July 22, the defendant had gone to Tauranga Airport and had hired a scenic flight in a Cessna 172.

When the pilot had left the aircraft after the flight the defendant had tried to fly off but had failed to engage one of the controls. Aeronautical charts had fallen from the defendant’s jersey as he had been taken from the plane.

The next day the defendant had taken a scenic flight at Taupo and had arranged to book another flight on July 25 at 1.45 p.m. The defendant had arrived at 1 p.m. and had taken the flight early. The flight had ended about 25 minutes later. When the defendant and the pilot had left the aircraft the defendant had unnoticed and hurriedly taken off, flying towards Hamilton and finally landing at Morrinsville.

He had been pursued by a helicopter and light plane from Taupo and an aircraft from Hamilton. When he had been taken from the plane the defendant had had a number of maps and a small transistor radio in his possession. He had admitted taking the plane from Taupo and had said that he had listened to the transistor radio while flying and that he had landed when he had become aware that the Waikato-Springbok rugbv match had been called off.

Both aircraft incidents had coincided with the planned start of Springbok matches.

The Waikato match had been called off just before the plane had landed.

The defendant had told the police that he was against the Springboks visiting New Zealand.

A note left in a car borrowed by the defendant to drive to Taupo Airport said, “The big day is here. I will know in a few hours if I’m successful or not. Your car is at the Spa Road Hotel."