Video interviews with police shown to the court yesterday gave an impression of two scared boys who fled the camp under cover of darkness because they "'couldn't handle it".
They broke into an unoccupied property further down the Ruatoki Valley, made a feed of rice risotto, tried to have a sleep lying under the beds, then made off with a handful of guns after breaking a cabinet lock.
The pair told police they knew little about guns. One said he thought a .22 was "a little handgun".
He picked a slug gun and used it for "shooting cows" as they trekked along with one stolen horse between them.
Once the horse was swapped for the car, the passenger tried loading a rifle.
The youth said he was "freaking out" during the high speed police pursuit. They didn't stop because they did not want to go to jail.
The first shot went off in the car "because I didn't know how to work it [the gun]." Another shattered the back window of the Falcon. He was trying to shoot out the tyres of the following patrol car, not hit the occupants.
For the car driver, lawyer Craig Horsley said the minute the passenger climbed into the back seat his actions were his alone.
Tony Balme, representing the passenger, said the Crown had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that his client pulled the trigger of the gun pointed in the direction of Constable James Muir.
The judge will sum up this morning and the jury of seven women and five men will then retire to consider their verdicts.
- NZPA
