Grieving father calls for tougher penalties

NEWS of another Wairarapa hunting tragedy was all too predictable for a Masterton father grieving the loss of his son in a similar accident.

‘‘It shouldn’t happen, that’s all there is to it,’’ Phil Grimwood said last night.

In November, 2008, Mr Grimwood’s son Aaron and his friend Raven Walters, both 17, were preparing guns for rabbit hunting at Mr Walters’ family farm south of Martinborough.

Mr Walters was in his bedroom and had just placed the bolt back into the .22 rifle, which already had ammunition loaded.

He turned the gun as he inserted the magazine, with the barrel facing the open doorway of his bedroom.

As he inserted the magazine, he felt his hand pull the trigger, a court was told. But at that moment Aaron walked through the door. The bullet struck him on the left side of his chest, killing him.

Mr Walters was sentenced to four months’ community detention, 100 hours’ community work and one year of intensive supervision and counselling.

Aaron would now be 21 and his father said yesterday he visited his son’s grave once a week.

He was part of a group of parents with similar tragedies lobbying for harsher penalties for shooters in hunting accidents. But nothing had happened, he said.

‘‘Something has got to change. Everybody says it won’t happen again but it does happen again.’’

He felt for the family of the hunter killed this weekend.

‘‘Sudden death like that really cruel. Bang – that’s it.’’

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