May 20, 2008

Sila 'mowed people down in anger' ?– Crown

Crown closing address in murder trial

The crown says Lipine Sila was ?mowing people down in anger? as he drove through partygoers along Edgeware Road.

That was the view put by crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway in his closing address to the jury in the High Court at Christchurch, in the trial?s fifth week.

The charges have now been adjusted, as the trial draws to a close. The two murder charges remain but the rest have all been brought into line so that Sila now faces eight charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm. He denies all charges.

?He was not feeling panic. He was simply mowing people down in anger,? said Mr Stanaway.

Sila had sufficient control over the car to drive in a manner where he struck only people, rather than lampposts, kerbs, or parked cars.

There were no brakemarks or skidmarks during the eight second drive where 28 people were struck.

There was no braking, although he said one witness thought there might have been a momentary flash of brakelights.

Experts said any slowing ? either from braking or from the impact of bodies ? would have lasted no more than half a second.

?He was not in a panic. He was determined to drive through those people with his foot flat to the boards, and was simply aiming for people. Otherwise there would have been braking or deceleration.?

He then drove off, getting into two further crashes as he got away in a very badly damaged car, to try to avoid responsibility.

At no stage during the lengthy video interview had he said he had lost control of the car.

?He claimed to his girlfriend that, ?God told me to do it.? That is the very poorest of excuses and the least acceptable in the context of this case. It is not consistent with panic or loss of control.?

The defence closing address will follow the crown.