Scott Guy trial: Ownership of farm unclear

The farmhouse near Feilding where Scott Guy was killed. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The future ownership of the Guy family farm remains unclear after Ewen Macdonald's acquittal.

Before the fatal shooting in July 2010, Bryan and Jo Guy owned 80 per cent of the Byreburn farm with the remaining shares split between Scott and Kylee Guy and Ewen and Anna Macdonald.

Macdonald had worked at the farm since leaving school at 16, before marrying Anna.

The trial heard both men earned around $100,000 a year as farm managers, although Anna Macdonald testified that her husband harboured unfounded suspicions that her brother was paid more.

One of Macdonald's listed goals was to increase his equity in the farm to 20 per cent by 2015.

The court has been told that Mr Guy announced in 2008 that he wanted to inherit the family farm, which caused tensions that led to Macdonald committing acts of arson and vandalism against his brother-in-law and his wife.

But Companies Office records show Ewen and Anna Macdonald, as well as Kylee Guy, were removed as shareholders from Byreburn Ltd - the family company that owns the farm and surrounding homes where they live - on January 31.

Kylee's mother, Diane Bullock, who was only added as a shareholder last October, was also removed as a shareholder.

The family homestead where Ewen and Anna Macdonald lived with their four children was also sold to Byreburn Ltd in January. Scott and Kylee Guy's home was sold for $520,000 last July, according to property records.

When the ownership structure changed, Scott Guy's sister Nikki, who also gave evidence at the trial, was added as a shareholder and owns about a sixth of the company with her parents holding the rest.

Nikki Guy, a one-time National Party prospect for Parliament, is still a Palmerston North City councillor. It is unclear whether Ewen Macdonald was paid for his shareholding or is now entitled to any claim to the farm.

- APN