Incidents among patrons outside Rangiora tavern

Press, 28 February 1984, Page 4

Incidents among patrons outside Rangiora tavern

A District Court jury was yesterday told how a car was driven on to a Rangiora footpath, hitting and injuring a pedestrian after an altercation between patrons outside the Red Lion Taverp on June 20 last year. Michael John Gillespie, aged 26, a labourer, has denied alternative charges of injuring David George Schofield with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and injuring Mr Schofield with reckless disregard for his safety. He was represented by Mr G. R. Lascelles. Mr P. G. S. Penlington, Q.C., appeared for the Crown, with him Miss K. P. McDonald. Judge Pain presided. Five of the Crown’s 12 witnesses gave evidence yesterday. The incident had started when Gillespie and his friend were allegedly hassling women taking part in a pool competition in the tavern’s public bar.

Mrs Beverley Norma McSherry said she told her de facto husband, Trevor David Smith, about this when he returned from a meeting of the Rangiora Rugby League Club’s committee in the lounge bar.

Mr Smith said that he glanced at Gillespie and on one occasion they banged into each other. He later received a telephone call from Christine Marie McSherry who said that Gillespie and his friend had a bar or piece of wood and were waiting outside the hotel.

Arming himself with a bar stool Mr Smith went outside, and four patrons, including Mr Schofield, followed him. There was a scuffle. Two of them chased Gillespie as he ran towards his car and the other three chased his friend across the road.

Larry Hunter tripped Gillespie’s friend, hit him, and Mr Smith also admitted

punching him. Mr Smith said he saw something that looked like an iron bar roll out from underneath him, but during cross-examina-tion admitted that he had not seen either Gillespie or his friend holding anything at the time he came out of the hotel. He chased them because he was “riled up and wanted to sort the matter out. When asked if he had been injured that night Mr Smith said he had a sore knuckle. Mr Schofield and Bill Dobby chased Gillespie. Mr Schofield said that during the fight he saw what he thought was a knife in Gillespie’s hand and Mr Dobby repeatedly asked him to put it away. Gillespie threw the instrument into the car, and became involved in another struggle with Mr Schofield who wanted to retrieve it. Gillespie eventually drove off.

Mr Schofield told the Court that he joined the

other men on the High Street footpath and heard someone shout ‘look out” A car had crossed on to the wrong side of the road, mounted the footpath and the pedestrians had to scatter. “I turned and saw two headlights and a radiator coming at me,” he said. The car hit him, throwing him on to the bonnet before he rolled on to the road. Mr Schofield said he suffered three broken ribs and bruising and was unable to work for seven weeks. Mr Smith estimated the car’s speed at about 15 m.p.h. (24km/h) and said it did not stop or slow down. He threw a bar stool at it as it went past. Mr Hunter said that Gillespie was the driver of the car and he admitted smashing one of its windows because he was angry about the bar he had found on Gillespie’s friend.