Dad of 14-year-old cannabis dealer says son was threatened

A 14-year-old south Auckland cannabis dealer slain with a hammer had told his father beforehand that some boys had threatened to kill him, a High Court jury was told today.

Daniel Bobby Tumata, 25, is jointly charged with Nathan Tuiti Reo Mutunga Williams, 25, of murdering 14-year-old John Hapeta on August 12 last year.

Tumata, Williams and a 17-year-old male who has name suppression, are also accused of assault with intent to rob. Tumata changed his plea and pleaded guilty to this charge earlier today, and will be sentenced later.

The trio appeared today on the second day of a trial expected to last two weeks.

The Crown says John Hapeta died after two men armed with a gun and a hammer gatecrashed a birthday party at the family home in Weymouth, south of Auckland.

The men, dressed in black with bandanas covering their faces, grabbed him and demanded drugs. When he said he didn't have any, he was hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

The Crown alleges he was killed because he failed to make payments on an airgun bought from another boy, who wanted to be paid in cannabis.

John Hapeta's father John Pokaihau-Rogers said he knew his son was selling cannabis, but he didn't know if he smoked it.

He told crown prosecutor Ross Burns his son had been having difficulties since he started secondary school, and used to skive off.

"He told me some boys were going to come back and kill him. It was something to do with an airgun," Mr Pokaihau-Rogers said.

He said his son had bought the gun for $70.

Mr Pokaihau-Rogers confirmed to the court that he had seen the gun.

"My son was angry because I told him he's been ripped off because it had no ammunition," he said.

The 16-year-old said to be the gun seller was questioned by Crown prosecutor Ross Burns today.

He initially denied knowing anything about the gun or any of the defendants, but later agreed he gave John Hapeta a gun he found a couple of days before the killing.

He also said he sold the gun for $150 and John Hapeta paid him $70 as part of the price. He said he was to hand over the ammunition once he was paid the rest.

Police found remains of spoons for burning and a hammer hidden under a mattress when they searched the boy's room.

When cross-examined by Tumata's laywer, Shane Tait, he said he was not at the scene when John Hapeta was attacked and killed.

The Crown is expected to call 30 witnesses during the trial.

- NZPA