Shooter gets life term for murder
A Wairoa man has been given a life sentence for the murder of another man when shooting him in the face at close range.
Ben Lambert, 22, was sentenced in the High Court at Gisborne yesterday for the murder of Michael Huata in June last year. Justice Robert Dobson sentenced Lambert to life with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years.
Huata, 29, a father of five, was shot in the face by Lambert, who was standing a few steps away when he pulled the trigger of a sawn-off shotgun, on the evening of June 18.
Lambert had been due to stand trial for the murder last month, but entered a guilty plea on the day the trial was due to start.
The confrontation between Lambert and Huata occurred at Mohaka, just south of Wairoa. It was the culmination of several days of conflict, fights, threats and alleged thefts, between Lambert and others living in the Mohaka and Raupunga areas.
On the evening of the murder,
Lambert drove to a Mohaka house armed with the cut-down semiautomatic shotgun. He took up a position that allowed him to view the house, inside of which was a man he wanted to confront.
He watched as Huata arrived in a car with another resident.
Huata had come to the address because he was concerned about incidents over the previous days and was worried about the safety of three children at the house.
At some stage in the evening, when it was dark, Huata left the house and climbed a small fence to go to the neighbour’s property. As he did this Lambert moved into view and told Huata to return to the house and get the man he wanted to confront.
Huata did not reply and kept moving towards Lambert. Both men were members of the Black Power gang and had known each other for a long time.
Lambert raised the firearm and told Huata to get the man. Huata stopped briefly, remained silent, and then kept walking towards Lambert. Lambert lifted the barrel and aimed it at Huata. Both men could see each other’s eyes. Lambert would later say: ‘‘I seen fear in people’s eyes and when I looked into his eyes for that last f...ing time I never saw that look in his eyes. He wasn’t scared.’’
Lambert took a deep breath, raised the barrel and said: ‘‘Yo f..., my gangsta,’’ then pulled the trigger.
He was about 1.5 metres from Huata, who suffered a massive injury to the lower face and neck. Huata, who had not been armed, was taken to Wairoa Hospital but died of his injuries.
Lambert then drove away. About 10km north of Mohaka he drove to a secluded area and abandoned the car. He walked across farmland and threw the firearm into a stream then followed a railway track to his home.
Lambert was identified early on as a suspect but there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime at the time. He later met police and told them he was the shooter. The firearm was found in the stream.
Justice Dobson said the 14 victim impact statements submitted by Huata’s parents and wha¯nau were similar in describing the ‘‘gutwrenching terms the huge loss that they all feel’’. He urged Lambert to reflect on the statements and to realise that Huata was ‘‘by no means your only victim’’.