Hunter who killed best friend sentenced to home detention

Dougal Fyfe pictured with sister Harriet, died in December after a hunting incident. Photo / Supplied

A Wanaka hunter who shot and killed his best friend after mistaking him for a deer on December 19 last year has been sentenced to seven months' home detention.

Reuben Kenneth James Burke, 25, was also sentenced to 300 hours' community work, ordered to pay $10,000 emotional harm reparation to the family of Dougal Sisston Stanfield Fyfe, 23, forfeit the .22 calibre rifle used in the incident to the Crown and had his firearms licence cancelled by Judge Kevin Phillips in Queenstown District Court this morning.

Members of the Burke and Fyfe families supported each other and Burke, who stood quietly in the dock, as Judge Phillips handed down the sentence.

Defence counsel Phena Byrne said "little would be gained" from sending Burke to prison and a sentence of imprisonment would have been unlikely to have provided any solace to the victim's family.

"This is a tragic, difficult and emotional case," she said.

"One family has lost a son, brother and a friend, another family stands before you looking at a son, brother and partner... awaiting his fate."

The maximum penalty for the charge of careless use of a firearm causing death was three years' imprisonment.

Judge Phillips told Burke "you sentence yourself every morning and think about what you did".

The court was told Burke, Mr Fyfe and another associate, Benjamin Sutherland, were at a Christmas party together in Maungawerea Valley Rd on December 18.

After a barbecue and consuming two or three beers the trio went eeling at Lake Wanaka, before going rabbit shooting on Mr Sutherland's farm.

About 1am the trio spotted a deer on land belonging to Mt Burke Station and began pursuing it.

Believing it had been shot, Burke and Mr Fyfe began to chase the deer on foot, while Mr Sutherland remained in the vehicle.

Burke moved around a thick manuka stand and, believing Mr Fyfe was behind him, aimed and shot at an eye reflection about 60m away, called out to Mr Fyfe - got no reply - and then shot.

Burke called out again to Mr Fyfe, got no reply, and went to where he had fired the shot, finding him on the ground.