Winders’ dad takes the stand

Quinton Winders’ father was alleged by police to be the ‘‘mastermind’’ of the George Taiaroa homicide.

Max Winders was twice questioned by police about the alleged murder.

Quinton Winders is accused of gunning down Taiaroa, a stop-go worker, in Atiamuri in March 2013.

The Crown alleges the catalyst for the killing stemmed from a minor traffic accident on March 12, 2013, which the Crown says Quinton Winders blamed Taiaroa for.

However, the defence claims the homicide was a case of mistaken identity.

While being examined on Monday by defence counsel Jonathan Temm, the court heard that on April 4 and April 18, 2013 – while Max Winders was at his Ngongotaha farm – the armed offenders squad swarmed his house and took him in for questioning.

Max said when he saw three police officers with machine guns coming toward him, ‘‘I thought Gestapo had come to get me.

‘‘Then they told me they had Quin and also my wife … under arrest.’’

On April 18, the armed offenders squad came to the Winders’ Ngongotaha farm again, where he was interviewed by a detective.

It was during the interview that police accused Max Winders of ‘‘masterminding the murder of George Taiaroa’’.

He said that neither he nor his son knew Taiaroa, knew what he looked like, nor knew where he was.

Earlier in the day’s proceedings, the court also heard that Max Winders told his son that the police may pull him over due to his Jeep Cherokee.

Max Winders had learned about the stop-go homicide from William Lane, the man he had backed into at the roadworks on State Highway 1 in Atiamuri, where George Taiaroa was operating a stop-go sign at the time.

In evidence given earlier in the trial, Lane said Taiaroa’s sign could not be seen when the minor vehicle mishap occurred.

Questioned by Crown prosecutor Amanda Gordon, Max Winders told the court that Lane had rung him to discuss insurance.

During that conversation, Lane told Max Winders that the man who operated the sign on the day of the crash was the man who had been shot dead, the senior Winders testified.

Max Winders said that, at the time, he wasn’t aware of the Atiamuri shooting. He watched the news and learned police were hunting for a blue Jeep Cherokee.

‘‘Did you speak to Quinton about that?’’ Gordon asked. ‘‘Yes,’’ Max replied. ‘‘What did you say?’’ ‘‘You can be expected to be pulled up with that vehicle,’’ Max Winders said. ‘‘He just said, ‘Oh yeah,’ and we carried on with our work.’’

Max Winders told the court that on March 19, 2013, the day Taiaroa was killed, he had dropped Quinton at the panel beater’s in Stratford to pick up his Jeep Cherokee.

Gordon also questioned Max Winders about his son’s guns.

The court learned that Max had given Quinton a .22 rifle for his 21st birthday. The gun and another .22 that Quinton owned are missing. Quinton Winders told police the guns were either stolen from his gun cabinet or he had left them on a hill while out hunting.

The trial, now in its fourth week, continues.