Accused bashed on night of shooting

Karl Check, a patched Mongrel Mob member accused of murdering two-year-old Jhia Te Tua, bashed his co-accused Hayden Wallace on the night the toddler was shot, the Wellington High Court heard yesterday.
At the time of the attack, Wallace was Check's prospect - a gang term for someone seeking membership under the probationary tutelage of a patched member.
Wallace, Check and four other men are accused of murdering Jhia in a drive-by shooting in Puriri St last May.
As part of the Crown's case, the jury was read police statements from Patrick Williams, an associate of Check.
Because Mr Williams is no longer alive, his statements, taken last May, were read out by members of the Wanganui police force.
Although he originally claimed he had gone straight home following a rugby league match at Lundon Park where members of Black Power and the Mongrel Mob taunted each other with gang salutes, Mr Williams changed his story five days later.
He told police he went back to Karl Check's Aramoho house to drink with a group of people that included several patched Mongrel Mob members.
They were later joined by other patched members, and then moved to the gang's "pad", which was nearby.
Mr Williams told police a confrontation developed between him and Wallace after they reached the pad.
"I would have been at the pad for about an hour and, throughout this time, Hayden was trying to intimidate me by saying things and staring at me," Mr Williams told police.
He said he watched Wallace go outside and waited a few minutes before joining him.
"I asked him what was with all his attitude, and he kept saying 'what, what' & I said, 'If you want to whack me, whack me. Don't say you want to do it and talk about it. Just do it'.
"I was quite aggressive and in his face."
Mr Williams told police a crowd of people, including Mr Check, formed a circle around the two men.
"Hayden thought about it and looked down, indicating to me he wasn't going to fight."
Mr Williams said he then told Check he was leaving, but received no acknowledgment.
"Karl wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Hayden and said 'What did you back down for?'
"Karl started punching Hayden full-on about the head. Other guys started joining in, and I thought it was time to leave, so I left."
Earlier, the court heard from a police officer who witnessed the stand-off at the rugby league game.
Constable Dale Paama was off-duty on the afternoon of the match, but was attending the game between the Castlecliff Seagulls and a Linton-based team with his family.
He said Check was standing on the side of the field with one other Mongrel Mob member.
Both were wearing their patches.
At about half time, he saw Jhia's father, Josh Te Tua, arrive and stand at the other end of the field with several associates.
Mr Te Tua was carrying a piece of wood with nails sticking out of it and had a blue bandanna pulled up over his nose, Mr Paama said.
The two groups were trading gang salutes and "puffing up", he told the court.
He said it was unusual to see patched Mongrel Mob members in Castlecliff, because it was understood to be Black Power territory.
Check and Wallace, along with Ranji Forbes, Richard Puohotaua, Godfrey Muraahi and Erueti Nahona, are accused of murdering Jhia.
Forbes, Wallace, Muraahi, Nahona, and Puohotaua are also accused of participating in an organised criminal group, and Wallace, Muraahi, Nahona and Check also face assault charges relating to an incident on the same evening.
Check's brother, Luke Check, is accused of being an accessory to murder after the fact.
The trial continues today.