Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bay woman hits neighbour while drunkenly shooting at roosters

Sandra Conchie
By Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
6 Oct, 2017 08:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Lorraine Niven is awaiting sentence after admitting two firearm charges in the Tauranga District Court. She was drunkenly firing at roosters on her property. Photo / 123RF

Lorraine Niven is awaiting sentence after admitting two firearm charges in the Tauranga District Court. She was drunkenly firing at roosters on her property. Photo / 123RF

A Katikati woman accidentally shot her 15-year-old neighbour while drunkenly firing her air rifle at roosters on her property.

Lorraine Marjorie Niven, 46, who appeared in the Tauranga District Court on Friday, pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly discharging a firearm.

Niven was earlier convicted of a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a firearm which related to the same incident, the court heard.

No conviction has yet been entered in relation to the second charge while Niven's lawyer explores the possibility of applying for a discharge without conviction.

The court heard that on August 31 this year while at her home Niven was intoxicated after drinking most of the day, having consumed a bottle of wine and some beers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She was in possession of an air rifle for culling unwanted roosters on her property.

About 5pm Niven fired the rifle in the direction of her neighbour's property oblivious that a 15-year-old boy and his associate were working on a vehicle parked outside the other address about 70m away

An air pellet struck the boy in his left side around his rib area.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He felt a sharp sudden pain and was left with red welt but did not require medical treatment, the court heard.

When the victim looked down he saw a damaged air pellet on the ground and when he looked up he saw Niven standing on her deck holding the air rifle.

Niven told police she was shooting at roosters and did not mean to hit the victim.

Her lawyer Phoebe Bromley urged Judge Christopher Harding not to enter a conviction to allow her client to make an application for a discharge without conviction.

Judge Harding told Ms Bromley was being "extremely wishful" given the seriousness of this offending.

The judge remanded Niven on bail for a restorative justice meeting referral and sentencing on November 1.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

live
Bay of Plenty Times

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 08:04 PM
Premium
Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 08:02 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Kaitiaki fight pathogen endangering iconic Mauao pōhutukawa

10 Jul 07:24 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge
live

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 08:04 PM

Electrical storms are set to hit at evening rush as Auckland braces for 16 hours of rain.

Premium
'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 08:02 PM
Kaitiaki fight pathogen endangering iconic Mauao pōhutukawa

Kaitiaki fight pathogen endangering iconic Mauao pōhutukawa

10 Jul 07:24 AM
'Current hotspot': Back-to-back national titles for Tauranga basketballers

'Current hotspot': Back-to-back national titles for Tauranga basketballers

10 Jul 06:13 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP