OFF THE WIRE
Two members and one associate of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gxxg are denying claims they pressured a witness to not give evidence in the trial of the gang's Wanganui chapter president, Wayne Tweeddale.
Robert William John Britton, 30, Shane Patrick Bullock, 44, and Shannen Luke Britton, 33, appeared in Wanganui District Court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness.
The Crown alleges the three men attempted to intimidate a witness the day before they were due to give evidence in the Tweeddale trial in October last year.
Tweeddale eventually pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including assaults, wounding, possession of weapons, burglary and threatening to kill. He had originally pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The charges stemmed from an incident on October 3, 2009, when Tweeddale went to an isolated rural property north of Wanganui with the intention of sorting out a dispute over a piece of land.
The confrontation turned violent and Tweeddale pulled out a knife and a gun and threatened to kill a woman, before taking six guns from the property and leaving. Following chambers discussions, Tweeddale entered his guilty pleas and was sent to prison for three years.
He later had his sentence increased by a further year in the Court of Appeal.
In his opening address yesterday, Crown prosecutor Harry Mallalieu said that shortly after the incident involving Tweeddale in 2009, Robert Britton, a patched member of the Hell's Angels, met two witnesses and told them they had 48 hours to get out of their house or their stuff would be thrown out.
The Crown said he told them the guns taken by Tweeddale at the time of the incident had been returned and asked why they had not told the police that yet.
The witnesses went home and found four of the six missing guns.
The day before the trial in 2010, the Crown claimed, the witnesses were visited by Bullock, also a patched Hell's Angels member, Shannen Britton, a Hell's Angels associate, Robert Britton, and two young children.
It is alleged Bullock told them he did not want them to go to court the next day and, if they did not go, Tweeddale had a good chance of getting off.
He said he and Robert Britton had met with Tweeddale's lawyer and repeatedly told them to drop the charges.
It was claimed Bullock promised that "nothing would happen" if the witnesses did not show up but there were no direct threats.
The conversation became heated and Bullock suggested to one of the witnesses that they "go up the road" and "have a talk".
Mr Mallalieu said the witness understood the implications of this and they argued before the witness told them to them to leave.
The Crown alleges that, while Bullock did the talking, the the Britton brothers were both party to the confrontation.
Robert Britton stood nearby watching and was part of the original confrontation in late October 2009, while Shannen Britton drove their vehicle.
Mr Mallalieu said the timing and nature of the visit and the surrounding circumstances were all significant factors relating to Tweeddale.
Defence counsel Peter Brosnahan (acting for Robert Britton) Roger Crowley (acting for Shane Bullock) and Raukawa Simon (acting for Shannen Britton) declined to make an opening address at the outset of the trial.
Mr Mallalieu said he expected the defence position would be that the visit may have occurred, but it did not occur in the context of dissuading the witness and was perhaps simply an innocent visit misconstrued which occurred unfortunately before the trial.
The trial continues today before Judge David Cameron.
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/gang-men-deny-trying-to-influence-case-witness/1077186/
