Three young men suspected of attacking 36-year-old Wairarapa man Paul Irons in October last year, will face a jury trial. Attacked and died: Paul Irons Irons was found partially undressed with scratches on his body and serious head injuries, reports the Wairarapa Times-Age. He later died in hospital. Anonymous emails sent to GayNZ.com at the time of the incident suggested Irons had a long-term male partner, and identified the attack as a homophobic confrontation. However, Irons' father responded saying his son was not gay, and was "hurt at the rumours." Following last week's depositions hearing in Wellington District Court, Shawn Mihaka Sullivan, 25, Andrew Dean Kupa-Caudwell, 17, and a 15-year-old with name suppression are all accused of murdering Irons. Forensic pathologist John Rutherford said Irons suffered "major and ultimately fatal damage to the head resulted from multiple, blunt force injuries". Evidence presented in the hearing included Kupa-Caudwell allegedly sending a text message to his girlfriend saying he had "got a crack and murdered someone". He later allegedly texted her again asking her to delete that message. The three accused young men will appear next appear in Wellington High Court on Tuesday 2 June. More information on this case is on the Wairarapa Times-Age links below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Saturday, 18th April 2009 - 9:16am