Scott Henry death: Witness testimony in murder trial reveals moment of shooting

Taupo murder accused Cody Griffin, left, Whakapumatanga Clarke and Daniel Chase at the Hamilton High Court charged with the murder of Scott Henry in Kinloch on July 20 last year. Photo / File

A Taupō woman has recalled hearing a man allegedly being shot as she sat cowered in the back seat of their vehicle.

Natasha Telford is giving evidence in the High Court at Hamilton in the second week of the trial of Cody Paul Griffin, Daniel George Chase and Whakapumautanga 'Cookie' Clarke who each deny a charge of murder and aggravated robbery of Scott John Henry on July 20 last year at Kinloch.

Henry was a drug dealer and the Crown alleged the trio went to the property to get drugs and money before one of them fired a shot into his chest.

He died at the scene.

Telford told the jury of four women and seven men how she bumped into the men as she arrived at her former partner's Taupō home earlier that day.

In questioning from Crown prosecutor Amanda Gordon, Telford said she was asked by Clarke what she was up to that day and she responded that she was busy.

The pair then exchanged numbers and texted each other from 6.20pm onwards, organising a time for her to be picked up.

"Ready yet my bro," Clarke texted her.

"Yeah will be better for me if we meet now," she texted back.

She pair exchanged several messages and was eventually picked up by Griffin and Chase some time after 6.46pm.

They then drove off and stopped to pick up Clarke before heading towards Henry's Whangamata Rd home.

She said she was then given half a gram of methamphetamine (P) in exchange for telling them where Henry lived.

It was shortly afterwards that she recalled seeing a gun before the vehicle stopped at Kinloch and the trio got out.

After being shown her statement given to police at the time, she said they all took off their gang patches.

Once arriving at Henry's property, the trio jumped out, leaving the two doors open, and then she heard a shot about "30 seconds" later.

She said Griffin then came back to the car and said "I think he's killed him", before going back to the others.

All three returned "seconds" later and they took off.

She then heard Griffin say to Clarke "you didn't have to shoot him" or "why didn't you shoot above him".

She said Clarke replied "don't come down on me dog".

She also heard Chase say, "she looked right at me", referring to Henry's partner Kylie Hartley.

Telford and Chase were then ordered out of the vehicle at the Pureora Forest where they stood and waited in the bush for about 15 minutes before they were picked up again.

They then "drove and drove and drove" to Turangi where they got petrol and the three accused went to Burger King for food.

When asked about the mood in the car, Telford said the trio "weren't yahooing or anything".

"They weren't jubilant or anything like that. It was possibly more shocked, maybe."

In questioning from Clarke's lawyer, Max Simpkins, she confirmed that all three appeared shaken about the shooting when they got back to the car.

She confirmed that Clarke also said "it wasn't meant to happen like that", that he "didn't mean to shoot him" and that it was an "accident".

She was also asked to clarify, by Griffin's lawyer John Munro, whether he said that he'd "shot him" instead of "killed him", and Telford replied she wasn't sure but that it was possible.

In re-examination from Gordon, she was asked to clarify what Clarke said in the car.

Clarke had said that it "wasn't supposed to happen like that", Henry was "reaching down for something" and "don't come down on me dog", Telford testified.

The trial, set down before Justice Sarah Katz, continues.