One guilty verdict in the trial for the murder of South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej Singh will not bring closure to that case, or address the social cost of the availability of alcohol in the suburb where he died, says Manukau City councillor Daniel Newman.
Mr Newman, who represents the Randwick Park suburb where Mr Singh was gunned down in his liquor store, said the conviction of Anitilea Chan Kee, 22, for murdering Mr Singh would do little do address the damage caused to either the victim's family, or the Randwick Park community.
Only Anitilea Chan Kee, the man who fired the fatal shot during the 2008 robbery, was found guilty of murder by a jury in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.
Five other accused - Myron Felise, 22, Tino Felise, 19, Eti Filoa, 25, Walter McCarthy, 19, and Jason Naseri, 21 - were found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.
Mefiposeta Chan Kee, 26, was discharged after being found not guilty of being an accessory after the killing.
Tino Felise, Filoa and McCarthy were all found guilty of one charge of aggravated robbery, while Anitilea Chan Kee, Myron Felise and Naseri previously admitted aggravated robbery.
Sentencing will be at the High Court on April 23.
"One murder conviction, three convictions for aggravated robbery, and three guilty pleas does little to address the social cost of this tragedy," Mr Newman said.
"A family has been denied a husband, father and son. An entire community has been tarred by the entire sorry episode."
He said he was pleased the jury established guilt, and hoped that the convicted men all received sentences that adequately reflected the extent of their guilt.
A member of the South Auckland Indian business community echoes Mr Newman’s comments but says the other five men should not have been acquitted.
Varinder Singh believes the other men should have been found guilty of murder.
“It gives the wrong message to those people doing this sort of crime,” he says.
Varinder Singh had charges dropped against him last year for defending his south Auckland shop during a robbery, and he says justice hasn't been served.
Mr Newman said Randwick Park still suffered because of the sale of alcohol at Riverton Liquor store.
"Mr Singh's death is a tragedy for which the entire community grieves. There is no excuse that can possibly justify the behaviour of Anitilea Chan Kee or his associates," he said.
"But the store where Mr Singh was murdered is also an establishment that is strongly opposed by a large number of Randwick Park residents. That opposition has remained steadfast for as long as the store has been selling alcohol, because residents fear the wider social cost associated with small suburban liquor outlets trading in residential communities."
Mr Newman said alcohol bought at the Riverton Drive outlet was consumed by young people who ended up drunk in local parks, who brawled in the streets and in people's front yards, and who ended up committing violent acts against innocent residents.
A supporter of changes to the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, Mr Newman said Parliament must amend the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill to reflect many of the recommendations proposed by the Law Commission last year.
"The social cost of allowing small suburban liquor outlets to trade is too great. Tighter rules are needed to prohibit small suburban liquor outlets, and control trading hours," he said.
"The law must also give affected residents the legal power to challenge new and renewal of licence applications. If that power had applied some years ago, it is possible that Riverton Liquor would never have been able to open in the first place, and a life may have been saved."
Speaking on behalf of the Singh family outside the court, close friend Daljit Singh said Mr Singh's widow, Harjinder Kaur, was still in shock.
"We do respect the verdict given by the jury today and the law of New Zealand. But his wife is still in shock that the other five men who were charged with murder have been found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter. She's very upset by that, and we'll be keeping our eyes on the sentencing date," Daljit Singh said.
The jury spent more than 18 hours deliberating. They began discussions on Monday afternoon after Justice Graham Lang concluded his summary of the case in the month-long trial.
Counties Manukau police district commander Mike Bush would not comment on the outcome.
"It is inappropriate for police to provide commentary on judicial outcomes," he said.
"With regards to media queries around the sequence of events on the evening concerned, police cannot comment at this stage as these circumstances are subject of an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) investigation - the results of which will be delivered by the IPCA."
NZPA / RadioLIVE
source: newshub archive
