‘Bird shooting coincided’ with Royal visit

Press, 20 October 1981, Page 5

‘Bird shooting coincided’ with Royal visit

PA Dunedin Because some starlings were irritating him while he was swotting, Jonathan Marshall, aged 20. a student, loaded a .22 calibre rifle with birdshot and shot at them, the District Court at Dunedin was told yesterday. However, as the incident occurred at about 12.50 p.m. on October 14. the day the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were visiting Dunedin. Sergeant A. N. Bremner said the police treated the matter very seriously until they knew the circumstances.

Hesidents of the Caver sham Valley Hoad area reported hearing gun shots, and when the police arrived they heard two further shots. Marshall admitted firing eight shots from the veranda of his residence into a tree. He pleaded,, not guilty to a charge of discharging a .22 calibre rifle near a dwelling house without reasonable cause. However, his counsel (Miss H. J. Calvert) pointed out to the Court that his home was some 115 metres from the road,, and about 80 metres

from the nearest house. He was also using birdshot, which was lighter, and did not have the same travelling range as other shot. Counsel said he was just letting off a bit of steam in examination time, and had not intended to do any harm. Discharging him without conviction under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act on payment of. $3O costs, Judge Murray told Marshall there was nothing wrong with letting off stream, but it should be confined to steam, and not birdshot.