Protester denies rubbing poison on Nelson MP

To the seagoing public, they are the heroes who keep hope afloat when boating times turn tough. In today’s we feature the work of Nelson’s Volunteer Coastguard Unit as their quest for an upgraded rescue vessel gets under way. In the past year, the unit

while he was at the Saturday market in Montgomery Square.

Renton and her then husband, Guy Northover, were jointly charged with offensive behaviour.

Prosecutor Sergeant Graeme Eden called Detective Fiona Hutching as the first witness.

Hutching interviewed Renton following the incident and executed a search warrant at her house to recover her cellphone with a recording of the incident on it. Footage of the police interview with Renton in October was played to the court. In it, Renton described how on September 2 she and Northover travelled where an aerial brodifacoum drop was occurring in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary.

She said she was concerned over the legality and safety of the poison drop.

The couple then talked about visiting Smith at the market to make their concerns known.

‘‘I suggested it would be a good idea to show Nick what it felt like to be violated by poison, violated in a symbolic way and suggested chicken pellets or animal food.’’

She said her husband suggested using off the shelf rat bait, which contained the same poison that was being used in the aerial drop.

Renton said they bought rat poison then visited Smith.

Renton said in the interview she did not intend to harm him. She said she touched his shoulder, but she denied touching his face, shoving him or threatening his family.

When questioned over witness accounts that she had rubbed the poison in his face, Renton strongly denied the allegations.

Smith was called as a witness and recalled the incident.

Two videos of the incident were played to the court. They showed Renton rubbing rat poison on the floor of Smith’s caravan and a table and yelling at Smith. Another video showed Renton and Northover touching Smith’s shoulder.

Smith told the court in his 20 plus years at the market, it was the first time he felt physically threatened, enough to call police.

Defence lawyer Sue Grey put to Smith that he did not have poison thrown at him or rubbed on his face.

Smith denied this. He said the videos shown to the court were not a complete record of the incident and maintained he was pushed, poison was rubbed on him, thrown at him and later found in his clothes.

‘‘What I absolutely stand by was that the poison was rubbed on me and thrown at me,’’ Smith said.

‘‘It was a protest that went too far.’’

Further witnesses were to be called by the prosecution late yesterday.