Hunter's acquittal surprises many who know bush

Alex Gale believes that Bernard Lee should have pleaded guilty to careless use of a firearm. Picture / Amos Chapple

The acquittal of a Taupo man who shot and killed a friend while deer hunting has surprised many in his hometown.

On the streets of Taupo yesterday, most people the Herald spoke to had reservations about Wednesday's not guilty verdict.

Bernard Lee, 51, had been charged with carelessly using a firearm, causing the death of 55-year-old William Gillies in April last year.

Shona Turner - whose husband and 10-year-old son are hunters - could not understand how someone who had failed to properly identify his target was judged to have been anything but "careless".

"Well, he took someone's life, and to me when you don't identify your target, that's careless. My husband doesn't go in to the area [bush] when the roar is on because there's so many hillbillies out there. There's so many cowboys he's scared of getting shot."

Up the road in an outdoors shop, customer Alex Gale said that while he felt sorry for both families, Mr Lee should have pleaded guilty to careless use of a firearm.

"In my view he was guilty. Basically, the police say if you pull the trigger you are responsible. You have a responsibility for making sure what you fire at is a deer or a game animal.

"If you trip and the gun fires and kills someone, that's an accident that may or may not be preventable. But this was somebody choosing to fire without identifying what they were firing at."

However, Mr Gale, who has hunted for 40 years, said he could understand how the shooting occurred.

"I've been in a situation like that where I could have pulled the trigger on someone, but I've waited. I did not expect to see a hunter - I heard a noise and I had my rifle up ready to shoot, but I chose to wait until I'd completely identified my target."

Hunters sometimes saw "what they wanted to see". The expense and time spent deerstalking often meant psychological pressures built up in the bush.

Mr Gale said all deerstalkers should wear fluorescent clothing. "My understanding is that neither of them were."

Some hunters saw such clothing as "uncool", while others were older men who were resistant to change, he said.

"It's becoming much more acceptable to wear high-visibility clothing."

Dairy owner Phil Saunders was relieved at the verdict. He knew the Lee family and how hard it had been for them.

"These comments about him showing no remorse - they're not right. I know Bernie and he's been through hell, he's devastated by it, the whole family are. The guys in that family are men's men. To see them upset and emotional - I've never seen it in my life."

However, he still felt Mr Lee should have identified his target and said his widow had a right to be upset.

"If someone shot my wife I'd be pissed off."