SHOTS IN COURT

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 90, 12 October 1940, Page 13

SHOTS IN COURT

-ARMS EXPERT'S EVIDENCE

Shots were fired from a pea rifle by a police arms expert during a demonstation of how such a weapon could be accidentally discharged at the inquest yesterday into the death of lan Douglas Rust, aged. 16, who, died from a rifle wound. The permission of the Coroner (Mr. W. G. Mellish) was granted for the demonstration. .iPouglas; Stewart Rust said his son borrowed a .22 calibre rifle with" which to shoot a cat. Nobody actually saw the shooting, which occurred at their home at Hataitax on September 28. Dr. J. A. Loari, a house surgeon at the Wellington Public Hospital, said the boy died of internal hemorrhage from a bullet wound in the abdomen. He.was conscious when he was admitted to hospital and told witness, that he had. struck at the cat with-the butt of the. rifle, which discharged when-it hit the ground. The injury was consistent with such a happening. --SeniorrSergeant G. Kelly said' the rifle that had been found with the B6y was not out of order but was of a" type that was dangerous in the hands of an unskilled person, and for that reason its importation' Was now prohibited. That the boy had been wounded in the manner that had been described was. quite feasible and it was unfortunately not an unusual type' pi accident. With the Coroner's per-mission-witness loaded the rifle with a- blank cartridge and- discharged it by-bumping the cocking piece on the rail of the witness box. He also fired the rifle by pulling the trigger to show that a deeper impression' on the cartridge was' made by the accidental •ring. fhe finding was that death occurred «t the Wellington Public Hospital on October 3, the cause being internal hemorrhage from a rifle.bullet wound accidentally self-inflicted. Senior-Sergeant T. Moriarty conducted the? inquest, - .