Six men face charges of alleged arson

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 18

Six men face charges of alleged arson

Six men charged with the alleged arson of a Kaiapoi house in January have been committed to the High Court at Christchurch for trial. In the District Court at Rangiora, the men all pleaded not guilty to wilfully setting fire to a house at 218 Williams Street on or about January 1 and 2, the property of Tere Moana Teresa Allen. The house was badly damaged by fire about 4 a.m. on the morning of January 2. The Kaiapoi Volunteer Fire Brigade had earlier been called there about 12.30 a.m. to put out a first fire, which had damaged only the front lounge. Charged were Geoffrey Llewellyn David Gordon, aged 22, an unemployed labourer; Shane Arthur Gordon, aged 20, a factory hand; Mark Alan Seddon, aged 19, unemployed, all

of Kaiapoi; Quentin Russell John Gordon, aged 18, unemployed, of Motueka; Adam Hopklnson, aged 17, a labourer, and Stephen Shane Watt, aged 18, a labourer, of Christchurch. In the taking of depositions before Messrs R. C. Holland and J. B. Andersen, Justices of the Peace, Sergeant R. G. Henwood said the charges related only to the first fire, which had damaged the lounge. Written statements prepared shortly after the incident by the defendants were presented by Sergeant Henwood. Seddon’s statement said he and his five colleagues had been having an ongoing feud with the people

renting the house at 218 Williams Street. On the evening of January 1, after discussing ways of “getting back” at them, a molotov cocktail was prepared using a light bulb full of petrol and the six defendants went round to the house with it. He said no-one was in the house at the time and a window was broken, through which to throw the molotov cocktail. However, it missed the window and landed outside the house where it burnt out. Seddon said he and his colleagues returned to the house later with a second molotov cocktail made using an empty bottle. When this was lit and

thrown through the window they all ran away, he said. Later they returned to watch the fire brigade put the fire out. None of the six. defendants said they knew anything of the second fire which had destroyed the house. Defence counsel for Shane Gordon (Mr K. G. Hales), Watt (Mr T. W. Fournier), Quentin Gordon (Mr J. Woods), and Hopkinson (Mr E. T. Higgins) all said their clients had been prepared to go to the house believing they were going there to start a fight, not to set fire to the house. However, Messrs Holland and Andersen found there was sufficient evidence to commit all six for trial and remanded them for a pre-trial conference at the High Court in Christchurch on May 16. Seddon, Geoffrey and Shane Gordon were remanded on bail of $1250, with surety of the same amount,Quentin Gordon was remanded on bail of $1250, and Hopkinson and Watt were remanded on bail of $2OOO.