Surprise guilty plea in Jhia case

A dramatic day at the Jhia Te Tua trial in Wellington saw one defendant plead guilty on a reduced charge of manslaughter, and murder-accused Hayden Wallace take the stand in his own defence.
Shortly after the lunch adjournment yesterday, Godfrey Thomas Muraahi, 27, stood in front of the Wellington High Court and pleaded guilty to both the manslaughter of Jhia Te Tua and participation in an organised criminal group.
Muraahi was originally indicted on a murder charge, but his counsel, Peter Brosnahan, and the Crown agreed to rearraign the charges so he could re-enter his plea.
The Crown alleged Muraahi was in the rear car of a three-car convoy that travelled along Puriri St on May 5 last year. The car's driver, Shane Roberts, testified earlier in the trial that Muraahi looked proud after shots were fired from the lead car at Jhia's home.
A third charge, for assault and relating to an incident in Akatea St on the night two-year-old Jhia died, was dropped earlier in the day.
Justice Warwick Gendall remanded Muraahi in custody for sentencing, and he will play no further part in the trial. That leaves five men accused of Jhia's murder, including alleged gunman Hayden Wallace, who gave evidence in his own defence yesterday.
The others are Karl Unuka Check, 26, Ranji Tane Forbes, 21, Erueti Chase Nahona, 20, and Richard Anthony Puohotaua, 28. Luke John Check, 24, is accused of being an accessory to murder after the fact. All six have denied the charges.
Under questioning from his counsel, Paul Mabey QC, Wallace denied any involvement in the drive-by shooting, and said he was not a Mongrel Mob prospect in May last year.
The Crown alleges Wallace fired a high-powered rifle at Jhia's home, killing the two-year-old instantly.
The order to do so came from co-accused Karl Check, the Mongrel Mob member Wallace was prospecting for, it is alleged.
However, Wallace said he was walking through Wanganui at the time of the shooting. He said he visited Check in the early evening of May 5, and travelled with him and Muraahi to Akatea St.
However, he said he left the group and travelled on foot to visit his father, who lived in Springvale.
Because his father was not at home when he arrived, Wallace said he continued walking to Bell St to visit another friend, who was also out. He told the court he then walked to London St, and stayed at another friend's house for about an hour.
Shortly after leaving, he noticed co-accused Ranji Forbes' car and asked for a ride to Check's house in Brunswick Rd in Aramoho.
While driving to Aramoho, the pair were caught on a service station security camera putting petrol in Forbes' car.
Wallace told the court he then went to visit an ex-girlfriend's house in Victory Place, when he was confronted by police officers who accused him of jumping over Check's fence to avoid them.
He denied this and did not learn Jhia had been shot until the next day, he said.
Under cross-examination from Crown prosecutor Grant Burston, Wallace denied being a Mongrel Mob prospect.
"I was an associate of the dogs. I wasn't an actual dog," he said.
Asked to explain seized photos of himself in red clothing, a colour associated with the gang, he said he was wearing them to honour a deceased friend, and it was not his usual attire.
He said the Check brothers were his friends, but they never ordered him around or told him what to do.
"Nobody calls the shots for me. I call my own shots.
"I live my own life, and I live it how I choose to do. I make my own decisions."
Mr Burston asked Wallace why he left the group in Akatea St that evening. Wallace said he had seen a police car and decided the best course of action was to walk away, because he was on release conditions from court.
Mr Burston also suggested Wallace was lying to the court about climbing over the fence, and he had done so to get away from police.
Evidence for all defendants concludes today, and the court will begin hearing closing arguments tomorrow. The trial is scheduled to finish this week.