Jury retires in Burton case

An Auckland High Court jury has retired to consider whether Graeme Burton attempted to murder a fellow prison inmate.

Burton, 38, has been on trial for attempting to murder Dwayne Marsh in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo on December 20 last year.

The Crown alleges he stabbed Marsh several times with a sharpened steel rod.

Three of those wounds were in the chest, one near the heart, and Marsh required emergency surgery.

The jury of seven men and five women sat through a day-and-a-half of evidence, which included security camera footage which showed the confrontation between Burton and Marsh.

Crown lawyer Deb Bell said the nature of the attack suggested Burton had murder on his mind when he attacked Marsh.

Burton's lawyer Peter Tomlinson said his client admitted the attack and may have wanted to cause serious harm, but his actions did not prove he intended to murder Marsh.

Several suppression orders are in place during the trial, including a prohibition on publishing historical photos of Burton.

- NZPA