Zen Pulemoana, 27 (left) and Mikaere James Hura, 21. Photo / File
A jury has heard Mikaere Hura, one of those charged with murdering Raymond and James Fleet claimed he had obeyed an order to run over a body because he feared if he didn't he'd be next to die.
This was after the pair had been hit over their heads with
a shovel by Martin Hone who has already been convicted of their murders.
Hura, along with Zen Pulemoana, is appearing in the High Court at Rotorua charged jointly with Hone with murdering the uncle and nephew at Mamaku on August 7 last year.
A conviction has been entered against Richard Te Kani who had pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges relating to them.
Testifying today Rotorua man Nathan Gray recalled a conversation he had with Hura as he drove him to Turangi the day after the deaths.
He said Hura told him he had been in Mamaku burying a bong for the "bros" from a cook (methamphetamine manufacture) they had just done when he came out of the bush meeting up with Hone, Te Kani, Pulemoana and the Fleets.
They returned into the bush where Hone "lost the plot" and started smacking Raymond Fleet with a shovel.
"He [Hura] said James was sitting in the back of the vehicle watching this happen, Marty pulled him out," Gray said.
Hura went on to tell him that Hone had instructed him to hit James Fleet around the head and told him to run someone over, it was unclear who he was talking about but fearing for his own life he had done Hone's bidding.
"Mikaere said he considered Hone's words a personal threat, he said he feared for his life" Gray told prosecutor Andy Hill.
During another conversation with Hura some days later as he was taking him to and from a meeting at the "big bro's" house in Auckland, the defendant said he wanted to get out of the gang and get a fresh start because a lot had happened over the deaths.
Questioned by Hill, Gray said he understood the "big bro" referred to was the president of the Manga Kaha gang.
Earlier in his evidence Gray told of receiving a call from Pulemoana about 8pm on August 7 asking if he had a hose and, if so, could he use it to wash down a vehicle.
Some time later Pulemoana and Hura arrived at his home where they washed the front, tyres and undercarriage of a Bighorn 4 wheel drive. He described both defendants as being "really really stressed".
Items from the Bighorn were put in his bin, Pulemoana asked him if he could store the vehicle for a few days. He had made arrangements for it to go to a friend's home. On the way there, further items had been deposited in a bin.
He said he discovered in the time between receiving the call from Pulemoana about the hose and the defendants arriving at his home they had gone to Mamaku to remove the bodies.
Questioned by Hura's lawyer Harry Edward, Gray said he drove various Manga Kaha members around because they didn't have licences.
He insisted Hura had definitely told him he'd punched James Fleet in the head several times, skinning his knuckles. Challenged that was a lie, he said he definitely recalled Hura telling him that although agreed it didn't appear in a statement he made to police.
"I didn't make it up." He agreed Hura also told him it was a good thing the Fleets were dead when they were run over.
Hura has also denied three methamphetamine related charges.
The trial continues.
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