Trial starts for man accused of shooting ex in front of kids

A woman says she pleaded for her life after her ex-partner shot her in the leg at close range with a pump-action shotgun in front of her two children.

‘‘Please don’t kill me. My kids need me,’’ she said, as Luke Adam Nickless held the shotgun to her head, she told the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

The Crown says it is a simple case of domestic violence with an angry and deliberate shooting. The defence says the shooting was accidental.

The woman gave her evidence on the first day of the trial of Nickless, 35, who denies charges of assaulting the woman, wounding her with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and threatening to kill her.

He also denies unlawful possession of the shortened weapon – the Crown said it was short enough to be classified as a pistol – and four military-style semi-automatic weapons.

The trial before Judge Jane Farish and a jury is expected to take up to four days.

Crown prosecutor Sean Mallett said Nickless had been in a relationship with the victim, Renaye Strachan, for three years and they had a 2-year-old, but had been separated. Strachan also had a 6-yearold child from a previous relationship. She had brought both children to his address in Loburn, North Canterbury, to ride their motorbikes. The pair got into an argument about child-care arrangements.

The Crown alleged Nickless grabbed her around the throat, but then released his grip. She said in evidence he reached into a raised garden and picked up a short black gun and shot her.

She claimed Nickless said: ‘‘How do you like that, b .... , I shot you.’’ He allegedly also held the gun to her head and said he was going to ‘‘blow your f ...... brains out’’.

He helped with first aid while her

6-year-old ran to a neighbouring property to get help.

Defence counsel Mike Brownlie asked the jury to make an assessment of the credibility and reliability of the witnesses.