Tully jury deliberations continue
The jury in the Ashburton WINZ shooting trial was resuming its deliberations about 2pm today, after a morning of repeated courtroom visits.
The deliberations began at 4pm yesterday for one hour, after Justice Cameron Mander had completed his summing up in the High Court at Christchurch on the 10th day of the trial of Russel John Tully, 49.
The jury of 11 came back into court during the morning to re-watch several of the surveillance video tapes from Ashburton businesses and inside the WINZ offices where the shootings took place on September 1, 2014.
It began its deliberations for the day at 9.30am, so that when it broke for lunch at 1pm, it had been considering its seven verdicts for a total of four-and-a-half hours.
Tully faces two charges of murder, two of attempted murder, two of unlawful possession of shotguns, and a charge of setting a man-trap – a wire found stretched across a track between two trees near the Ashburton River after the shootings.
Afternoon update:
After lunch, the jury asked to have a transcript of the closing submissions by one of Tully’s amicus curiae, James Rapley.
Justice Mander declined to give it to them, saying: “It is not evidence but submissions and you must base your verdicts on the evidence.”
He would feel it was also necessary to provide a transcript of the Crown’s closing address, and his own summing up which commented on aspects of the lawyers’ closings.
“I would be concerned that your focus would be on the competing submissions of counsel, which is not evidence, rather than your own analysis of the evidence,” he said.
The jury then retired again to continue deliberations.
Category: News
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