Scott Guy murder accused Ewen Macdonald out of prison, playing rugby in Christchurch

Ewen Macdonald in the dock while being sentenced, to five years imprisonment, in the High Court at Palmerston North. New Zealand Herald Photograph by Mark Mitchell

The man accused then acquitted by a jury of murdering Feilding farmer Scott Guy is enjoying his freedom by playing club rugby in Christchurch.

Guy died after being shot at close range with a shotgun outside his rural property in the early hours of July 8, 2010.

His heavily pregnant wife Kylee and young son were in the family home nearby.

Ewen Macdonald - married to Guy's sister Anna - was charged with murder.

He also faced a raft of charges relating to other offences against Guy and his family.

After a high profile trial Macdonald was acquitted of murder but jailed for the other crimes.

The Herald revealed last year that he had been released on parole and had set up home in Christchurch.

Macdonald, who has a new partner after his wife left him and moved to Auckland with their four children, is now playing club rugby.

Fairfax reported Macdonald is a member of the Belfast Munchers, a club in the north of the city.

He was seen playing yesterday in the Canterbury senior classics division six competition.

His new partner was on the sideline watching the game, Fairfax reported.

Macdonald reportedly played 60 minutes of the game as flanker, then was subbed off.

Belfast Rugby club president Dave Pilkington initially told Fairfax that he unaware Macdonald was playing for the club.

However he later said the club had "no issues" with Macdonald.

"He has slotted into the Munchers team, he's paid his subs," Pilkington told Fairfax.

"Obviously he has moved into the community and is starting a new life, served his time and we are not prejudging him.

"Who are we to judge a guy that has served his time?"

Guy's widow Kylee did not want to comment on the matter this morning.

Scott Guy. Photograph supplied

The Scott Guy murder - a case that gripped the nation

What happened to Scott Guy?
He was murdered in his driveway on July 8, 2010, as he left for work. Mr Guy was shot in the throat at close range when he got out of his ute to open the farm gates. The killer left distinctive footprints and the dead man's blood pooled in them.

Who is Ewen Macdonald?
The son of Kerry and Marlene Macdonald, Ewen had known Scott Guy's sister Anna since he was a teenager. He had always wanted to be a farmer and they married and had four children. Scott was their best man.

Scott and Ewen, along with their wives, were in partnership in the family farm with Scott's parents, Bryan and Jo Guy.

Why was Ewen Macdonald arrested?
Police investigating the killing discovered Scott and wife Kylee had been targeted by vandals and property had been burned down. Macdonald and a young friend, Callum Boe, were the culprits. When Boe confessed, police questioned Macdonald until he too admitted his guilt.

During the interrogation he insisted that didn't make him the killer and he wasn't "that blimmin' psycho".

Later, police identified the footprints as being Proline dive boots, a type owned by Macdonald but missing from his belongings. And he was heard to say Scott had been shot while stunned family members gathered at the police cordon, even though he hadn't been allowed close to the body.

What was the Crown case?
The Crown alleged Macdonald killed Scott because he was jealous of the control Scott was getting on the farm and feared he would lose influence, therefore casting doubt on his own family's place on the farm.

Prosecutors alleged tensions had been building between the men for months - there was a loud argument at a restaurant and simmering tensions that farm workers and guests had observed.

They also said Macdonald had access to the farm gun, which could have been the weapon, and cast doubt on his alibi. He claimed to be elsewhere on the farm but they said he had plenty of time to get to the driveway where Scott was murdered.

What was the evidence?
Police had footprints which matched the type of dive boots Macdonald wore. The boots were stocked at his father's store. However, Macdonald's lawyer Greg King threw that theory into doubt at trial when he said the footprints could have been left by someone with a size 10 or 11 - not a size 9, which was his client's.

They believed the motive was Macdonald's fear of losing the farm. But at trial, evidence was given that he and Scott Guy were getting along better at the time of his death.

The arson and vandalism were key planks of the prosecution case. Macdonald himself admitted that it was likely whoever was responsible for the acts against Scott and Kylee Guy was also the killer. That was until his role in the earlier acts was uncovered.

After that, he denied being the killer and said he committed the acts as part of a night-time "mission" with a young accomplice for fun, and not revenge.

What was the verdict?
Ewen Macdonald was found not guilty of murder by a jury at the High Court at Auckland after a month-long trial.