Defence and Crown lawyers grill Mob boss

A Mongrel Mob president on trial for murder has had his credibility questioned by both Crown and defence lawyers.

Yesterday was the second day Jeremiah Su’a spent in the witness box in the High Court at Palmerston North facing questions about the death of Codi Wilkinson.

Wilkinson was found dead in Bunnythorpe in September 2019, two weeks after he was last seen by friends and family.

The Crown says Jeremiah Su’a, his brother Mariota, Dean

Arthur Jennings, Quentin Joseph Moananui and Jason David Signal murdered Wilkinson in September 2019.

They deny the murder, kidnapping Wilkinson and his friend Kyle Rowe, wounding Rowe with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and participating in an organised criminal group.

The Crown says Jeremiah Su’a, the president of the Manawatu¯ chapter of the Aotearoa Mongrel Mob, ordered Wilkinson and Rowe to be depatched after they robbed a man senior police have told the trial is a drug dealer.

Jeremiah Su’a spent Tuesday and yesterday denying that, saying he did depatching personally in a non-violent manner.

He also said he had no authority to depatch Wilkinson as he did not give him a patch.

Furthermore, he said he had never seen Wilkinson wearing a gang patch, did not believe Wilkinson was ever a fully patched Mobster and was told by Wilkinson in July 2019 he had left the gang.

That was despite the fact Wilkinson had ‘Mongrel Mob’ tattooed across his face and was photographed wearing an Aotearoa Mongrel Mob patch.

Crown prosecutor Deborah Davies also showed Jeremiah Su’a photos police took of a patch

Wilkinson had in August 2019.

He had the facial tattoo by then, which had a diamond between the words Mongrel and Mob. Jeremiah Su’a earlier told the trial the diamond was a feature of the Manawatu¯ chapter of Aotearoa Mongrel Mob, but yesterday said he could not explain Wilkinson’s tattoo.

He also came under pressure from questions by Jennings’ lawyer Robert Lithgow, QC.

Lithgow questioned the reality of many of Jeremiah Su’a statements, including wanting to take the Manawatu¯ Mob chapter to rural Whanganui to cut scrub, the origin of the diamond in Wilkinson’s tattoo and not knowing if the drug dealer was robbed.

Jeremiah Su’a was also question about Wilkinson and Rowe being attacked at 107 Mulgrave St, Ashhurst, while he lived at 105 Mulgrave St. He said he heard nothing and saw nothing, but would have reacted if he did. ‘‘If I was there my first aid training would have kicked in.’’ Lithgow responded: ‘‘Are you for reals [sic]?’’

Jeremiah Su’a said people like Lithgow made him out to be a violent thug by stereotyping him.

Lithgow said that was ‘‘because something violent and thuggish happened at the end of the driveway next to your place’’.

The trial continues.