Gang men deny firearm possession

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 18

Gang men deny firearm possession

Four Devil’s Henchmen gang members were prosecuted in the District Court on firearm charges arising from the finding by the police five firearms in a wooden box buried not in the gang’s property in Feny Road but in City Councilowned land 30cm outside the boundary fence. After an all-day defended hearing, Judge Paterson adjourned the case, tentatively to this afternoon, to rule on submissions made by defence counsel for all four defendants that there was

no case to answer to the charges. The defendant’s are Russell John Keetley, aged 25, a meat grader, Simon Leslie Paulson, aged 24, unemployed (both represented by Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon); Peter Ronald Darrell, aged 29, a block layer (Mr M. J. Glue); and Rex Bruce White, aged 26, a meat grader (Mr P. H. B. Hall). Each denied joint charges of unlawfully possessing two pistols (cut-down .22 calibre rifles) and unlawfully possessing two .22 calibre

rifles and a shotgun on April 7.

Prosecution evidence was that the police, during investigations into the gangrelated homicide inquiry into the death of Graeme Innes, searched the Devil’s Henchmen gang’s premises in Ferry Road on April 7. A wooden box containing the five firearms which were the subject of the charges was unearthed from a shallow hole about 30cm outside a boundary fence. The area was not part of the gang’s premises. The firearm’s and paper

wrappings were fingerprinted, with “negative” results. The four defendants were alleged by the police to have been resident at the headquarters. Evidence was that there were about 60 young men, many of the from out of Christchurch, at the premises at the time of the police search.

A “bikies’ convention” was being held at the time, according to evidence. Keetley was said to be the president of the gang at the time, Darrell its secretary, White its sergeant-at-

arms, and Paulson a prospective member. Constable G. M. Gordon, the police gang liaison officer, said in crossexamination that within his knowledge Keetley did not live at the headquarters but had a home at Kaiapoi. He had seen him on occasions, very seldom, at Ferry Road.

Witness knew that Darrell had lived with a woman at another address. He accepted that White might have lived away from the headquarters. Darrell, when questioned said he had not slept at the headquarters lately. He said he lived at his parents’ address.

Keetley told a detective when questioned that he had never slept at the gang headquarters.

Paulson said he lived at the headquarters the whole time by himself except when a crowd came in. Mechanic’s gear found in the bedrooms he occupied was his.

Mr Hall objected to an interview of White by a detective and the Judge reserved his decision on this.

The four defendants, denied knowledge or ownership of the weapons. Defence counsel generally submitted at the conclusion of the police case that the charges should be dismissed because of evidence that the weapons were not found on the property the defendants were alleged to have occupied. Their possession of the weapons had not been proved.

Mr Glue also said there was no evidence of Darrell’s having occuped the property. Mr Fitzgibbon said that Paulson’s admission that he lived at the headquarters took the matter no further, as there had been no proof of possession of the firearms.

Detective Sergeant N. R. Scott, said the police did not contend that the four defendants were permanent residents but that they frequented the headquarters in their roles in the gang.

He contended that they were "occupiers” of the property where the firearms were unearthed, having had to go on to it from the headquarters land to bury the weapons.