Accused changes plea in attempted murder trial

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 15

Accused changes plea in attempted murder trial

One of two men on trial on a joint | charge of attempted murder changed his plea to guilty in the High Court yesterday afternoon. I

Mr Justice Holland remanded Richard Arthur Admore, aged 22, in custody to March 16 for sentence after he admitted attempting to murder Wayne Pohutuhutu, aged 23. and having in his possession ja pistol — a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun —.bn October 29.

Admore was represented by’Dr Willie Young and Ms Maria Jean Dew. The trial of Tipiwai Ngatiporou Houkamau, aged 25, continued on the same two charges and an additional charge of assisting Admore to leave the scene of the crime of attempted murder and to avoid arrest. Messrs Erno Bedo and Shaun O'Neill appear for

Houkamau and Messrs David Saunders and Mark Zarifeh for the Crown. Detective Constable C. F. Stokes said that Houkamau made a written statement ini which he said that he lived in Dunedin and hadl come to Christchurch to spend a holiday with his brother, Willy, who was a patch member of Black Power. . They and others had driven in the accused's Valiant car to the Black Power convention held in Auckland on October 20. On their! return to Christchurch they drove to the Dog House in Cathedral Square to get a meal. Houkamau said in the statement that he was told that the! Dbg House was "Mongrel Mob turf” and Willy told him that if he was scared about getting his car damaged he should ; park it across the other side of the

Square. He; did that and sat in the car for about i five minutes when he saw Admore, known as Little Riche, walking towards him from the Dog House with Jood. A Mini car approached and the occupants took a good look at Admore. As Admore was getting into the Valiant the Min made a U-turn and Admore said that its occupants were Mbnkees, which h]e presumed was his name for the Mongrel Mob. j Admore told nim to follow the Mini and when he asked why, Admore had replied, "To| freak them out — to scare them — so that they! ivon't come back to the Square.” Houkamau said that he started the car and followed the Mini! as instructed. That car (started going fast and slow and then •• indicated a turn to

the left. When he went to overtake the Mini it began to veer to the right towards his car. \ "As this was happening Little Riche opened up his jacket and underneath it he had a gun,'! Houkamau said, in the statement./‘I freaked out as I did not know he had a gun. He pointed it at the Mini and the next thing ! knew was that I heard two loud bangs like a gun going off. "When this happened I said to Little Riche, 'You — egg. I am almost home and you got me in this shit now’.

"Little Riche just laughed. I think he was drunk. He was sitting in the front passenger’s seat."

Houkamau said that he did not know what to do, as he was panicking. He drove back to the Square and did not' know what Admore did with the gun.

The next thing he knew the police had arrived and he was in trouble. "I did . not I know about the gun and I did not think that anyone was going to get shot. I thought there might have been a fight,” Houkamau said, in the statement read by Detective Constable Stokes.

Questioned, Houkamau had said that he owned the green and white Valiant car. He did not know there had been a shotgun in it. There might have been talk about “wasting” a member of the Mongrel Mob.

Graham Ross Hewitt, an armourer at Police National Headquarters in Wellington, said that he was given a shotgun in four pieces. Both barrels and the stock had been shortened so that it came within the definition of a pistol.

The bores contained after-firing residue. The gun had two triggers, one with a firing pressure of 41b 14oz and the other 51b 7oz, which were safe trigger pressures. It had a safety catch which had to be manually pushed forward to the firing position.

The shotgun was of a Russian make, Mr Hewitt said. Late in the afternoon, Mr Saunders announced that he would call Admore as a witness for the Crown.

After Admore was sworn, Mr Justice Holland asked him if his solicitor was .aware that he was to be called to give evidence. Admore replied that he was not. He had only just been approached by the prosecutor. At that stage the Court was adjourned for the day.