A Supreme Court jury has ruled that a man who shot dead a rival along Kopu-Hikuai Rd is guilty of murder.
Adrian Reginald George Phillips, 24, has been on trial in the Hamilton High Court for the past six weeks. He has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Bayden Williams (20), who was found dead on the evening of Wednesday, August 5, 2020, on the side of Kopu-Hikuai Rd in the Coromandel Peninsula.
The Crown alleges Phillips deliberately knocked Williams’ vehicle off a winding stretch of road. When Williams climbed back onto the embankment at about 19:00 that night, Phillips fatally wounded him by shooting him three times – in the thigh, shoulder and finally his head – with a shotgun.
The jurors retired at 11 a.m. Friday, following the summary of Judge Melanie Harland, and returned at 2:40 p.m. with their verdict. Their decision was greeted with recklessness from Phillips, but some members of Williams’ family in the public gallery clapped their hands when the verdict was read out.
He will be sentenced on August 12.
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Bayden Williams, who was shot dead on the side of Kopu-Hikuai Rd in the Coromandel Peninsula.
Phillips’ lawyer Ron Mansfield QC spoke out of court after the verdict, saying it was a crime that should never have happened.
“This case is a sad example of people in our community with mental health issues who are not identified and adequately addressed when they need it.”
It was the resources of the health sector that were really to blame, he said.
“This is a sad day for Mr Phillips, as he had real problems and tried to get help. The fact that he could not [and it] has led to something as tragic as it is an unfortunate and sad charge against our health system. ”
Williams’ father, Lance Williams, also said after the verdicts that although he was happy with the outcome, there was no real joy for anyone involved.
MIKE MATHER / Stuff
Members of Bayden Williams’ family, including his father Lance, left the Supreme Court after Adrian Phillips was convicted of murder.
“We have been waiting for this for a very long time. It was very difficult for our family to hear in great detail what happened to Bayden.
I hope [Phillips] get the book thrown at him for what he did. ”
The trial was originally scheduled for two weeks, but delays and interruptions – mostly caused by people involved who came down with Covid and other diseases – mean it is now approaching the start of a sixth week.
The Crown case, led by Rebecca Mann and Jacinda Hamilton, argued that Phillips was in a murderous rage – stemming from a wrong resentment – when he fired the shots.
His defense attorney, Ron Mansfield QC and Hannah Stuart, said Phillips fired the shots in self-defense because he believed Williams – who he said was rushing at him and rushing at him – was about to stab him. stab.
GOOGLE STREET VIEW
This area of Kopu-Hikuai Rd marks the spot where Bayden Williams’ car was bumped from behind, spinning off the road before breaking through a side road and crashing into an embankment in the woods.
Phillips never claimed to have actually seen a knife. Also, no such implement was found by the police.
Phillips said he fired a warning shot into the ground and then deliberately shot Williams in the thigh and then shot the shoulder in an attempt to stop Williams’ march. It did not work. He had one round left and claimed he had no choice but to shoot a shot at his opponent’s head.
Phillips was also in the grip of severe depression, and suffered from anxiety and elements of post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the shooting, and this severely affected his thinking and judgment.
MIKE MATHER / Stuff
Members of the Phillips family leave the Hamilton High Court after the verdict is delivered.
In addition, Williams had a history of violence and was known to carry a knife with him.
Harland told jurors they should strive to reach a unanimous verdict. She gave them a question mark, the first of which was whether Phillips caused Williams’ death by shooting him in the head.
That, Harland suggested, would give them little trouble, as it was not something that was disputed at trial.
The next thing they would have to decide was “the crunchy issue” of whether Phillips acted in self-defense when he shot Williams.
Did he use more force than was reasonable to ward off the perceived danger, and did Phillips have other options open to him, and the time to take those options?
The third issue was whether Phillips had an assassination attempt when he killed Williams. That may have meant he knew he was going to cause a bodily injury to Williams that would likely lead to his death – but fired the gun regardless.
If they decided yes, it would mean he would be guilty of murder. If not, then he will be guilty of manslaughter, she said.