A bill that would make it easier for people to leave an abusive marriage has passed its third reading, and the Navy makes progress on the clean-up of the sunken HMNZS Manawanui.
A Rotorua man found guilty of shooting a stranger in the face out the window of his car after collecting his children from primary school is a rapper who has recorded a string of albums and has millions of online streams.
Tihema Nuttall, 33, has been on trial in the Rotorua District Court this week after pleading not guilty to wounding William Merito with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on August 5, 2021.
It was Nuttall’s defence he wasn’t the person who shot Merito.
Nuttall is also known as rapper Temm Dogg, who has released several albums and singles with Mongrel Mob gang themes. His three most popular songs on Spotify each have over 1 million streams.
Tihema Nuttall, also known as rapper Temm Dogg, was on trial for shooting a stranger on Te Ngae Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner
His latest album released in September, Rhythm and Mobster Vol 2, features a song called When I Get Free. Lyrics include, “I got my patch on and I’ll be ready to blast anyone talking s*** about me and my gang f***en runner goes bang bang”.
Prosecutor Mike Smith said in court it was the Crown’s case Nuttall was travelling towards central Rotorua with two children in his silver Mazda having collected them from school about 3pm.
Smith said there were a lot of roadworks at the intersection of Te Ngae Rd and Tarawera Rd and Nuttall was stopped at a red light. He got out of his vehicle to speak to someone in a vehicle behind him.
When the light turned green, Merito drove his black Ford Territory past where Nuttall was standing and it appeared words were exchanged.
A photograph from Temm Dogg, also known as Tihema Nuttall's, Facebook page. Photo / Facebook
Smith played CCTV footage to the jury which he said showed Merito slowing down as he drove past Nuttall.
Smith said Nuttall got in his vehicle and drove after Merito. He drove alongside Merito’s vehicle and shot at him through the window with a shotgun.
Pellets blasted through the glass of Merito’s passenger window and into his face and head. Glass and shrapnel went into Merito’s eyes, face and forehead.
Merito told the jury during evidence there was a flash of light and everything went white and he went blind.
Tihema Nuttall was found guilty this week of wounding with intent to grievous bodily harm after a shooting on Te Ngae Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner
Merito said he had surgeries in Waikato Hospital and still suffered from sight problems. Merito, who identified Nuttall as the shooter from a police lineup, said there were two children in the car.
Police used CCTV footage to find the vehicle’s registered owner. They found the vehicle in Rotorua’s central city about 4.30pm and arrested the driver, Nuttall.
The defence case
Nuttall’s lawyer, Andy Hill, closed the defence case on Tuesday afternoon, telling the jury a key aspect of the case was that Merito, by his own admission, was guessing when he pointed out Nuttall in a police lineup.
Hill said Merito did not have a full front-on view of the face of the man he drove past. The weather was wet and Merito would have focused his concentration on driving.
He said Merito admitted in evidence his eyesight wasn’t the best as three years ago he was borderline Type 2 diabetic, a condition he now had.
Hill told the jury not to read too much into clothing seen on CCTV footage. While Nuttall was wearing a grey hoodie with Everlast on the front when he picked up his children from school, that didn’t necessarily mean he was the same person seen minutes later as the shooter wearing a grey hoodie.
Hill said footage from Anytime Fitness at the Te Ngae Rd intersection after 3pm showed a man getting into Nuttall’s Mazda wearing a grey hoodie, but you could not see if it had an Everlast logo on the front.
Hill noted how common grey hoodies were, pointing out a juror wearing one.
“Generally speaking, the items of clothing match but we don’t deal in generalities in the criminal jurisdiction.”
He said while it was a fact the Mazda car was involved in the shooting, as gunshot residue was found in the car, the jury needed to be sure Nuttall was the shooter.
“I accept it is suspicious Mr Nuttall is found an hour and a half later driving the same vehicle … but police have no idea where that vehicle went during that hour and a half.”
Hill said the Crown case was based on circumstantial evidence.
The jury took two hours to find Nuttall guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on Wednesday.
He was remanded in custody by Judge Anna Skellern, who presided over the three-day trial, until February 3 next year for sentencing.
Rapper ‘came from the gutter’
Temm Dogg social profiles described him as the founder of M.O.B Music.
The rapper “came from the gutter and lived a life of drugs, crime and prison” and his music was a reflection of his life experiences.
He made music to provide “a sense of therapy to my own wellbeing” and because it was his passion. He said he planned to transform negatives into positives by sharing his story in the form of articulate poetry.
“I’m trying to prove that no matter where you come from in life, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and there will always be a way out which means there will always be a brighter day ...”
The rapper wrote he had tried to lead by example since 2015, even though he said he had to start again many times.
“I’m very humbled as I know I’m far from perfect and I know I don’t have all the answers, but I have a dream, and I will hold on to that dream, and I will never let go.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
