October 07, 2008

Park murder accused sent for trial

Two men charged with the murder of 16-year-old Sean Martin William Phillip Finnerty-Gallagher in Auburn Reserve have been committed for trial in the High Court at the end of six days of depositions.

The hearing of evidence ended this morning before Nick Atkins and Percy Acton-Adams, Justices of the Peace.

They then remanded Thomas Tihema Christie, 25, and Sonny Avon Rehu, 31, in custody to a pre-trial call-over in the High Court on November 21.

The committal came after many hours of police video-taped interviews with the pair had been played to the court.

The court was told that Mr Finnerty-Gallagher had been drinking with the pair in the park during the night of February 12 to 13. He was found lying dead in the park next morning, with a series of injuries including head injuries.

It was suggested he had been knocked unconscious.

A pathologist gave evidence that death resulted from asphyxia caused by the combination of the way he was lying with his airways partly blocked by blood and the fact that he was very intoxicated ? his blood-alcohol level was nine times the legal driving limit for a person his age.