Tribesman gang member Rawden Yates convicted over Northland murder of Kimble Moore

Tribesmen gang member Rawden Yates has been found guilty of the murder of fellow gang member Kimble Moore in March 2016.

Northland gang member Rawden Yates is in jail awaiting a life sentence for murder, with the only issue being how much longer than the minimum 10 years he will have to spend inside.

Rawden James "Big Boy" Yates, 37, was yesterday found guilty of the murder of fellow Tribesmen gang member Kimble Moore in March 2016 after a three-week trial in the High Court at Whangārei.

Yates was found to have shot Moore, 48, twice in the back and once in the side in March 2016 and he has been remanded in custody until October 5 for sentencing.

The jury of eight women and three men retired just after 4pm on Thursday to consider their verdict and after resuming deliberations at 9am yesterday, returned to the courtroom and delivered their unanimous verdict at 12.30pm.

As the jury foreperson delivered the guilty verdict members of Moore's whanau in the public gallery started crying. Yates showed no emotion at the verdict and was remanded in custody until October 5 by Justice Mathew Downs.

On that day Justice Downs will deliver a life sentence to Yates, with the only issue how long he must serve before he is eligible for parole. Murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, with a minimum of 10 years' jail, but judges can impose a minimum non-parole period longer than that. The judge will also issue a three strikes warning to Yatesat sentencing.

After the verdict was delivered Justice Downs thanked the jurors for their careful deliberations and said it was a justifiable verdict that was utterly consistent with the evidence presented in the case.

Moore was reported missing from Taipa by his partner in March 2016 and his body was found buried in a shallow grave six months later in the Fairburn area.

Yates denied murdering Moore and told the High Court jury that the fatal shots were fired in the course of a scuffle for the weapon. In his evidence Yates said Moore had pointed the gun at him and he was defending himself. But the Crown said Yates deliberately killed Moore and disposed of his body and the death was murder.