KEY POINTS:
A jury has found a man guilty of shooting at two fleeing burglars during a car chase.
Garth Gadsby, 60, of Ngawi, south Wairarapa, had denied recklessly discharging a firearm in September 2006.
But at Wellington District Court this morning a jury returned a guilty verdict after more than 10 hours of deliberation.
The court was told that Gadsby pursued and fired a shotgun at a stolen Mitsubishi Galant in which the two burglars were trying to escape.
Both later admitted to breaking into and trashing houses in the south Wairarapa coastal township.
The jurors started their deliberations at 2.30pm yesterday after the conclusion of the five day trial and retired to a hotel for the night at 11pm. They resumed deliberations at 9am today
Summing up the case earlier, Judge Jan Kelly said the jury needed to decide if Gadsby had reasonable cause to fire the shotgun and whether he acted in reckless disregard for the safety of others.
Prosecutor Grant Burston told the jury Gadsby was "fired up" and determined to catch the burglars regardless of the risk to the occupants of the car.
Gadsby's lawyer, Simon Hewson, said his client, a gun club member, had acted cautiously and carefully and did not deserve criminalisation.
Outside the court Gadsby said he had no regrets about what he did.
He was remanded on bail for sentencing on May 9.
- NZPA
