Dealer, 14, told dad of death threats

A 14-year-old South Auckland cannabis dealer slain with a hammer told his father beforehand that some boys had threatened to kill him, a jury heard yesterday.

Daniel Bobby Tumata, 25, and Nathan Tuiti Reo Mutunga Williams, 25, are appearing in the High Court at Auckland jointly charged with murdering John Hapeta on August 12 last year.

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

The trio appeared yesterday 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.

Dressed in black with bandannas covering their faces, they grabbed the boy and demanded drugs. When he said he did not have any, he was hit on the back of the head with the hammer.

The Crown alleges John Hapeta 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 did not know if he smoked it.

He told Crown prosecutor Ross Burns that 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."

He said John had bought the gun for $70.

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

The 16-year-old said to be the gun seller was questioned by Mr Burns. 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 16-year-old'sroom.

Cross-examined by Tumata's lawyer, Shane Tait, he said he was not at the scene when John Hapeta was killed.

The Crown is expected to call 30 witnesses.

- NZPA