Manslaughter jury fails to reach a verdict

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 27

Manslaughter jury fails to reach a verdict

PA Hamilton After nearly 13 hours of deliberation, a jury has failed to reach a verdict in a manslaughter trial involving five Mongrel Mob members. A new trial has been ordered for the accused. The jury retired at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and emerged at 2 a.m. yesterday morning. Sonny John Fatu, aged 22, Dwight Percival Fatu, aged 18, Jack George Andrew Berryman, aged 18, Mark Allan Tukiri, aged 18, and John William Hedges, aged 16, all unemployed, of Hamilton, appeared for trial before Mr Justice Doogue and jury in the High Court at Hamilton on a count of killing Keith Andrew Cochrane at Hamilton on November 20 by an unlawful act.

They were remanded in custody to October 3 for a date to be set for a new trial. A sixth man, Dean David Wetere, aged 16, unemployed of Hamilton pleaded guilty after giving evidence and was remanded in custody to September 23 for a pre-sen-tence report” and sentence. Sonny Fatu and Tukiri were found guilty of a charge of conspiring to obstruct the course of justice and were remanded to September 23 for presentence reports and sentence. Mr Justice Doogue said yesterday the trial, which went into a fourth week, was one of the longest heard in Hamilton in recent times. The Crown alleged Mr Cochrane had been beaten, stabbed and

burned with cigarettes at the Mongrel Mob house in Lyon Street on November 19. He was taken to Waikato Hospital that night and died the next day as a result of head injuries. The Crown solicitor, Mr C. Q. M. Almao, prosecuted. Mr David Bates was counsel for Berryman, Mr Roger Laybourne for Dwight Fatu, Mr James O’Neill for Hedges, Mr Glen Marshall for Wetere, Mr Phil Connell for Sonny Fatu and Mr Kit Clews for Tukiri. Rosemarie Harrison, aged 27, a solo mother, charged with conspiring to obstruct the course, of justice was discharged by Mr Justice Doogue before the trial was completed. Her counsel was Mr Brian Nordgren.