Man killed in Chch clash

Press, 26 April 1983, Page 1

Man killed in Chch clash

Violent week-end sees bashing, shotgun killing in Chch,__car ‘homh’ fear in Wellington, new gang_warning in

Violent gang rivalry in Christchurch during the week-end has left one gang member dead, one seriously injured, and 17 others in custody.

The clashes between members of the Highway 61 and Devil’s Henchmen motor-cycle gangs, which threatened to escalate into an all-out gang war, began early on Saturday morning with shootings outside the Highway 61 headquarters at 588 Worcester Street, Linwood. One man was killed and another seriously injured in the attack. The dead man was Quentin Rumatiki Martin, single, aged 24. The injured man, John Raymond Roderick, aged 29, was in a comfortable condition in Christchurch Hospital last evening. Within an hour of the 12.50 a.m. shooting, the police arrested six members of the Devil’s Henchmen whom they found travelling in a van in New Brighton Road. They appeared in the District Court, Christchurch, yesterday morning, charged with murder. During the court hearing, more than a dozen Highway 61 members arrived outside the courtroom. They shouted abuse, kicked at the

locked doors of the courtroom, and smashed a window. Police reinforcements were called, and 11 men were later arrested and taken into custody. They will appear in the District Court this morning to face charges of unlawful assembly. After Saturday’s shooting, the police seized two shotguns, a rifle, two .38 calibre revolvers, as well as knives and staves. The shotguns and knives were found when six Devil’s Henchmen members were apprehended by an unarmed, uniformed police patrol in New Brighton The rifle and revolvers were found when a search warrant was executed later on Saturday on the Devil’s Henchmen headquarters in Ferry Road. The six men charged with the murder of Mr Martin are: Brian Selby Lundy, aged 23, a freezing worker, Keith John Knight, aged 21, a process worker, Larry Thomas Geeson, aged 25, a self-employed leather

worker, Russell John Keetley, aged 23, a meat grader, Vaughan Martin Watson, aged 21, a coach builder, and .Mark Andrew Sutherland, aged 26, a mechanic. All except Geeson gave as their address the Ferry Road headquarters of the Devil’s Henchmen. Geeson gave a Wainoni address. They also face charges of unlawful possession of a 12gftuge single-barrel shotgun and possession of an unlawful firearm, a 12-gauge, double-barrel sawn-off shotgun. Knight and Keetley face that charge jointly with others. Further charges relating to the shooting of Mr Roderick are expected to be laid later. The head of the police squad investigating the shooting, Detective Inspector Brian Williams, said earlier that the incident appeared to have arisen out of an altercation between Highway 61 members and members of the Devil’s Henchmen at a Christchurch ho.tel about a month ago. Mr Williams would not elaborate apart from saying

that the altercation occurred inside the hotel and outside it, and that it did not involve any weapons. Mr Roderick was shot as he stood on the footpath in Worcester Street outside the Highway 61 headquarters where a party was in progress. The blast hit him in the right shoulder and chest area with 27 pellets, knocking him off his feet.

Mr Williams said that Mr Roderick staggered back into the Highway 61 property and gang members came out to take care of him.

Two of them were standing on the footpath unaware of any danger. Then the bright red Austin van that the police believe was used in the attack returned and two more shots were fired. One blast hit the fence. The other struck Mr Martin in the chest at very close range, said Mr Williams. Mr Martin was struck by about 190 pellets. Mr Williams said that Mr Martin said a few words that indicated he knew he had been shot. He died within a few seconds.

The van the police believed was used by the attackers was found some hours later at Ohoka, near Kaiapoi. It had been stolen a couple of hours before the shooting from an address in Shirley and the windows on the left side removed, apparently to enable the guns to be used.

At the court hearing yesterday, Judge Bisphan was considering a plea for bail on behalf of some of the six defendants when the Highway 61 men arrived outside. The police prosecutor, Senior-Sergeant B. Nalder, opposed the bail applications.

"Another person is in hospital and these defendants will face additional charges in respect of that person,” Senior-Sergeant Nalder said. “We have real evidence that, if these defendants are bailed, we will have a gang war on our hands in Christchurch. Custody is in their interests as much as the public interest.” He had hardly spoken when the motor-cyclists arrived outside the court. Most of them were wearing black leather jackets bearing the Highway 61 emblem and black helmets, and riding large English-made motor-cycles with raised handle-bars. The doors were hurriedly shut. As the gang shouted obscenities and kicked on

the "door, Senior-Sergeant Nalder remarked that it appeared a gang war had already started.

When a gang member outside smashed one of the court’s windows' with his helmet, the Judge suggested that the defendants should be put in secure custody and he adjourned the hearing. A woman, who was one of about a dozen people in the public, gallery hearing, began to weep, and a big, tattooed man stood up. to go out. He was told firmly by a detective to sit down.

The police apparently had not expected the incident. About half a dozen detectives were around the court but few uniformed men were visible.

The police had expected most of the gang to go to Dannevirke to attend the funeral of the man who died in the shooting.

Several carloads of uniformed policemen arrived within a few minutes, but did not immediately arrest

the motor-cyclists, apparently because of being outnumbered.

When the ■ hearing resumed the defendants were not brought back into the courtroom.

The Judge remanded all the defendants in custody until May 2. “Bail is refused because of the seriousness of the charges and to some extent in their own interests” he said.

Making the bail application for Keetley, Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon said that his client had been permanently employed for nine years by the freezing company he worked for, and earned a substantial salary. Keetley had a number of convictions, but they were not serious. “In my submission, they are what one would regard aas more of nuisance value,” said Mr Fitzgibbon. Keetley owned property at Kaiapoi and was prepared to put up sureties. His father, too, was prepared to put up a substantial surety, of many thousands of dollars if necessary.

“As I understand it, there are two categories in relation to this particular offence,” said Mr Fitzgibbon. “There is a group of four, and a group of two. My client falls into the latter category.” Mr Fitzgibbon said he believed that the defendant Watson was also in the group of two. “It may well be that at the end of the day, subject to whatever evidence is adduced, that their position is different from the group of four,” said Mr Fitzgibbon. Mr R. S. Simes, applying for bail for Watson, said that his client was in steady employment with a Government department. Mr P. H. B. Hall, who appeared for Knight, did not seek bail. The other three defendants were not represented.

Normally remand prisoners are held at Addington Prison. The six defendants in this case were taken immediately with an escort of several carloads of police to Paparua Prison.