‘Good night’ in town ends in shooting

Press, 25 October 1985, Page 7

‘Good night’ in town ends in shooting

A farmhand’s “good night” in Kaikoura at hotels with friends on the evening of August 16 ended early the next morning' in shearers’ quarters at Cloudy Range station, when he was shot in the head and bullet and bone fragments lodged in his brain, according to evidence given in the District Court yesterday. The Court was hearing evidence on a charge against a shepherd, Kevin Gerard Keehan, aged 26, arising from the shooting. Keehan, a shepherd on Cloudy Range station, on the Inland Road, Kaikoura, was charged that with reckless disregard for the safety of persons he caused grievous bodily harm to Geoffrey William Inkersell, aged 24, on August 17.

After hearing depositions or statements of evidence of 12 prosecution witnesses, Dr J. F. Mann and Mrs 0. M. Franks, Justices of the Peace, committed Keehan for trial by jury in the High Court. They remanded him

on bail pending a date for trial.

Mr H. D. P. van Schreven, for Keehan, reserved the defence.

Sergeant M. P. Caldwell prosecuted.

Prosecution evidence was given that Mr Inkersell, who worked on a property near Cloudy Range and knew Keehan, was shot after they had been “joking about” on their return to Keehan’s quarters. Mr Inkersell suffered a .22 calibre bullet wound in the head, and underwent neuro-surgery at Christchurch Hospital. Evidence was that Mr Inkersell had drunk liquor at several hotels, and had met Keehan at one of them. Keehan had driven Mr Inkersell back to the Cloudy Range quarters as Mr Inkersell was considered too drunk to drive his own car.

Murray Austin Rivers, runholder of Cloudy Range station, said he was awakenedin the early morning by Keehan, who was in a distressed state and told of an accident having occurred to

“Geoff.” Keehan told witness of having driven Mr Inkersell back to the station, and kept muttering that “the damn rifle jams.” Keehan had said that Mr Inkersell joked on their return from town that he was going to pull a female staff member at the station out of bed. Keehan had told him not to as he would kill him. Mr Inkersell had then gone into an adjoining room. Keehan had poked his rifle through a hole in the wall and told Mr Inkersell he would give him “a bit of this” if he went to the homestead (where the woman was). The rifle had then discharged, Keehan had told witness. Detective G. A. Lysaght, of Blenheim, said that when questioned about the incident. Keehan said that in the shearers’ quarters they talked for a while and discussed what time Mr Inkersell would have to be up that morning to return to his work. Mr Inkersell went into an adjoining room and they “gave cheek to each other through the wall.” Mr Inkersell spoke of going to see the female staff member. Keehan then poked his rifle through the hole in the wall and told him he had better not or he “might get some of this.” z Keehan had told witness he had the rifle pointed through the hole. He then bumped the weapon and it fired. When he realised what had happened Keehan “bolted and panicked like hell.” He saw that Mr Inkersell was lying on his back on a bed, and then went to the house to awaken Mr

Rivers and get help. Mr Inkersell gave evidence of visiting hotels in Kaikoura during the afternoon and evening of August 16, and meeting Keehan at one of these. He could not remember how much liquor he drank but he “had a good night.” Keehan drove him back to Cloudy Range station as he had had too much to drink, and it was decided that he would stay there for the night and return to work in the morning. He went to bed in the room next to Keehan. He did not remember anything else except being taken away in an ambulance. He did not see Keehan with a rifle. They had known each other for two seasons and there had never been any trouble between them, and no trouble that night. They had “had a good night.” Cross-examined, Mr Inkersell said he had seen Keehan about three times since the incident. These had been on visits to hospital and since. He did not think their relationship had changed. They were still friends. Michael John Chesham, supervisor of the police armoury at Lower Hutt, said he inspected and tested a .22 calibre semi-automatic rifle, exhibited in Court. It had been equipped with a telescopic sight, and sound moderator. The trigger pressure registered 2.9 kg. The rifle was safe and could not be made to fire accidentally during testing.

More Court news on Page 9