‘Twists and turns’ promised
A dispute over a caravan left a man with deep lacerations to his head, fractured ribs, a puncture wound through the shoulder and five defendants facing charges of aggravated robbery.
At least that’s what the Crown has alleged at the start of a High Court trial in Rotorua for the five defendants.
Defence lawyers, however, promised ‘‘twists and turns’’ to the jury of six men and six women and the possibility of complainants with ‘‘a good reason to lie’’.
Bernard Monk, Michelle Monk, Jordan Para, Anthony Peeti and Odean Thompson are all on trial having entered not guilty pleas to one charge each of aggravated burglary.
Prosecutor Duncan McWilliam opened the Crown case against the five on Wednesday for the trial that is expected to last two weeks.
He said the defendants arrived at the McLaren’s Fall Rd property of Mark Breingan and partner Lisa Mercer on January 25 last year, announcing their arrival with three words: ‘‘You owe us.’’
What came next, according to
McWilliam, was an alleged assault that left injuries including deep lacerations to the skull, fractures to the ribs and around the nose and eyes and ‘‘a puncture wound right through the shoulder’’.
McWilliam also claimed that in the wake of the alleged assault against Breingan and Mercer, one of the group pointed out Michelle Monk.
‘‘Now you know why we’re here.’’
McWilliam said that comment was ‘‘a clear reference
Stand by for a bumper opening celebration for Hamilton’s new Pacific Islands community hub to coincide with the return of the New Zealand Rugby Sevens tournament to the city.
K’aute Pasifika Trust chief executive Leaupepe Rachel Karalus said the rugby event at the nearby FMG Stadium Waikato would help add some real ‘‘sparkle’’ to the opening of the hub or fale on the weekend of January 21-22.
‘‘A number of the teams that are coming are from the Pacific,’’ she said.
Having the opening at the same time as the sevens would help support those teams during their stay, Karalus said.
She said it had been hoped to have the fale completed by the end of last year but there had been delays for a number of reasons, including Covid-19, and finalising funding and design. The latter ‘‘is never as to Bernard Monk [her brother]’’.
He said that while Bernard Monk was not present at the time, he directed the alleged offending and ‘‘he engaged them [co-defendants] as the muscle in this exercise’’.
He also said Bernard Monk was known to Breingan.
The root cause, he said, was Bernard Monk wanting the return of a caravan he had left on the property some years ago.
McWilliam also told the jury that two other people were charged in the wake of the linear as you hope it to be’’, said Karalus, stressing that was not the designers’ fault.
Karalus said the project was also looking at incorporating a wider range of medical and related services into the fale.
The fale – long planned and due to cost more than $10 million – has been supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, Trust Waikato and Hamilton City Council. It has being developed on the site of the vacant Hamilton Stadium Bowling Club at Hinemoa Park. alleged offending, David Timoti and William Reid.
He said neither were in court as they had both entered guilty pleas to aggravated burglary charges.
McWilliam also told the jury members they would hear evidence from neighbouring orchard workers who arrived on the scene after hearing yelling.
He said they did not see any violence, but did see a man ‘‘bleeding heavily from the head’’.
Bernard Monk’s lawyer Scott
McColgan also addressed the jury, telling them that ‘‘nothing that happened at McLaren’s Fall Rd on the morning of 25 January, 2021, was at Mr Monk’s urging, instruction or suggestion’’.
‘‘All Mr Monk wanted to do was uplift his property, a caravan and a bus, that he has lent Mr Breingan’’.
He said there was no unlawful purpose in seeking the return of the property, and ‘‘no violence was ever intended, orchestrated or desired’’.
‘‘They’d been good friends up to this point. All he wanted was his property back.’’
McColgan also asked the jury whether Monk would have sent his own sister if violence had been planned.
He also told the jury members that over the coming weeks there would be ‘‘twists and turns’’ at the trial, and that they may ask whether Breingan and Mercer ‘‘can be trusted’’.
‘‘It will become crystal clear they had an extremely strong motive to lie and exaggerate about what happened that day.’’
Michelle Monk’s lawyer Gowan Duff made a similar claim when he addressed the jury.
‘‘The complainants have a good reason to lie.’’
The trial is set to continue and is expected to last two weeks.