Killed best friend

Press, 1 May 1984, Page 6

Killed best friend

PA Auckland A man who shot and killed his best friend was yesterday sentenced in the High Court at Auckland to three and a half years jail for manslaughter. Stephen Cserepanyi, aged 26, a trader, of Te Kauwhata, was convicted of manslaughter at his trial earlier last month but acquitted on the more serious charge of murder. At his trial, the jury heard that Cserepanyi killed his friend, Colin James

Newbold, a farmer, of Maramarua, with a hunting rifle. The shooting occurred on September 8 last year after the two men had returned to Cserepanyi’s cottage after they had been drinking together at a tavern. Counsel for Cserepanyi, Mr P. A. Williams, told the Court yesterday that the jury had convicted Cserepanyi on the basis that he had R resented a fire-arm at lewbold but had no intention to cause him any harm. Mr Justice Sinclair said

Cserepanyi had been parading through the house with a loaded rifle and had to accept the consequences. He said Cserepanyi had not even taken the elementary precaution of making sure the rifle was empty before waving it about. He said that as well as taking into account the interests of Cserepanyi he had to consider the interests of the dead man and of the family who had been deprived of a husband and father.