Accused texted girlfriend on night of attack

Andrew Kupa-Cauldwell confessed to being involved in the fatal bashing of Paul Irons texting his girlfriend soon after the beating that he "got a crack and murdered someone," the Wellington District Court heard yesterday.
Kupa-Cauldwell, Rangitera Walker and Shaun Sullivan have all pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Irons in Featherston in October 2008. The trial began last Monday and resumed yesterday after a weekend break.
Kupa-Cauldwell's girlfriend at the time gave evidence yesterday that was based largely around text messages and phone calls some of which were made from Mr Irons' cellphone which was stolen after the Featherston attack in October last year.
The court also heard a recording of a message Kupa-Cauldwell, then 17, had left using Mr Irons' phone on the girl's voicemail minutes after the bashing; "babe if you get this...if you read this message...do not text this phone...do not text this phone...honest."
The voice message ended with Kupa-Cauldwell making a short series of squawking noises.
The witness glanced occasionally at Kupa-Cauldwell throughout her testimony and told the court Kupa-Cauldwell had been unable to touch her the day after the beating because "he'd heard that the guy he'd punched had HIV and he'd need to have a shower."
Earlier on the evening of October 8, 2008 Kupa-Caulwell had texted the girl, saying that he was going to a party at 97 Brandon Street with George Murray - one of two eyewitnesses to the attack on Mr Irons that would occur later that night.
When she asked Kupa-Cauldwell why he was going to the party he replied "don't know and then we gonna see if anyone wants to fight at this party down the road."
The court heard that roughly 15 minutes after the attack, at around 3.30am, Kupa-Cauldwell texted from Mr Irons' phone, pleading with his girlfriend to erase all communications between the two.
"Babe please don't text this number back...it's important I swear....I got a crack and murdered someone babe," the text read.
Following the attack in Triangle Park the witness also said Kupa-Cauldwell told her he had turned and walked away from his "friends" - alluding to murder co-accused Shaun Sullivan and Rangi Walker - because they had "went back and took it too far."
"He described one of the boys snapping his fingers back and he could hear them breaking and someone stomping on his...head," the witness said.
Kupa-Cauldwell later told her that he should have rung an ambulance but "didn't want to appear weak."
The witness stifled tears recounting text messages sent in the days after the attack in which Kupa-Cauldwell told her he hadn't "felt normal in ages" and was feeling "alone."
Two days after the attack she told Kupa-Cauldwell that a story about the bashing was on the front page of the Times-Age.
Kupa-Cauldwell then asked her if the story mentioned any suspects for the attack, to which she said no.
"OK, sweet," he replied.
Later he texted her: a "babe I have to talk to the police - what the f... am I meant to say? I'm scared."
The trial is proceeding.