BOYS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5301, 14 January 1947, Page 5

BOYS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER

' (Press Assn —

^ TAUMARUNUI CASE injured jvian tells of ' brutal shooting

-By Telegraph — Copyright.)

TAUMARANUI, Last Night. In the Juvenile Court held &t Taumaranui hospital, Messrs W. A. Campbell and W. Thomas, J.'sP., heard the evidenee of Raymond Douglas Brinkman, as to how he came to be shot in the stomach by a repeater rifle on Sunday. Two boys, aged 14 and 16, charged with attempted murder, were represented by Mr. J. M. McKenzie. Brinkman deposed that he returned from mustering at 12.30 p.m. and found the windows and deors^of his house open. They had been closed hut not loeked when he left. He saw one of the accused run across 'the lawn to a shed. He then secured a stick for defence and noticed another boy climbing* a hill. Witness called out: "What are you dc-ing son?" The boy replied: "Chasing rabbits." Witness then said "Corae down at once!" When witness finished talking, the boy jumped out from behind a, shed with a repeater rifle at his shoulder and fired, hitting witness in the stomach, from five yards away. It was all over in a flash. Brinkman ran down a track with the boy following him, trying to hit him again. The boy fired three or more shots but only the first shot hit him. The last shot was fired as the injured man went over a bridge. He then jumped a stream where he stayed. He later drag-ged himself to the road where he was found by a cyclist. Witness identified a cigarette case, lighter and fountain pen which he had left in the house. He had never seen -accused hefore. Brinkman identified two accused in the court. In replv to Mr. McKen?;ie, Brinkman said he was not absc--lutely certain which boy fired the shots, but he thought it was the older boy. Accused were remanded to appear at Auckland on January 20.