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A fifth man has pleaded not guilty to the fatal shooting of patched Head Hunters member Charles Pongi in an East Auckland park, nine months after his four co-defendants.
Papakura resident Vini Steven Mahoni, 20, briefly appeared before Justice Mathew Downs at the High Court inAuckland this morning as the plea was entered on his behalf by his lawyer.
He was ordered to join the four others, including older brother George Mahoni, during the four-week murder trial already scheduled for next August.
Pongi, 32, was fatally shot on August 5 last year amid what is alleged to have been a planned brawl at Taurima Reserve in Pt England involving members of the Head Hunters, Rebels MC and their associates. He was able to drive himself to Auckland City Hospital but did not survive the wound.
Police investigate the scene of a disorder event at the Taurima Reserve in Point England, where patched Head Hunters member Charles Pongi (inset) was fatally shot. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Police investigated the death for more than three months before making five arrests over the course of a single week in November. Four of the men were charged with murder and another was charged with lesser charges of discharging a firearm with intent to intimidate and unlawful possession with a firearm.
But police didn’t publically mention Vini Mahoni as a suspect until last month, one year after Pongi’s death, when a press release was issued seeking tips on his whereabouts.
“In the past week, police have obtained a warrant in lieu of summons relating to the murder of Charles Pongi,” a police spokesperson said at the time.
Vini Mahoni is one of five men who have been charged with the murder of Charles Pongi.
At the conclusion of today’s hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Justice Downs remanded the defendant in custody to await trial. A hearing to request electronically monitored bail is set for later this month.
Several supporters of the defendant sat in the courtroom gallery, telling him goodbye and expressing love as he was led back to a holding cell.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
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