Man For Trial On Attempted Murder Charge (Press, 5 March 1966)

The hearing for a charge of attempted murder against Keith Charles Johns, 23, chief steward of the Wellington vessel Durango, resumed in the Magistrate's Court on 4 March 1966. Johns is accused of shooting 20-year-old Anthony Thomas McGuire, an assistant steward, in the stomach in a cabin on board the ship early on 4 February 1966, shortly after the vessel left Wellington for Panama. Johns has pleaded not guilty and is set to be tried in the Supreme Court, with Mr M. A. Bungay representing him and Detective Inspector K. J. Hamilton prosecuting. During the hearing, McGuire provided a detailed account of the events leading up to the shooting. He stated that after dinner on 3 February, he spent time on deck before returning to his cabin with his room-mate, Eddie Grahams, where they had coffee and went to bed around 11 p.m. McGuire clarified that he had not been drinking that evening. He was later awakened by Johns, who invited him to join him for a drink in his cabin, which McGuire accepted, feeling uncertain at first. Once inside the cabin, McGuire noticed another crew member, Forester, asleep in bed. Johns woke Forester and instructed him to leave before opening two cans of beer. Throughout this time, Johns remained restless, repeatedly exiting and shutting the door. McGuire claimed that Johns complimented him but also made remarks about other stewards. As McGuire was getting up from the chair, Johns unexpectedly shot him. He described the incident as so sudden that he hardly realised what had happened. Following the shooting, McGuire fell to his knees from the pain, and Forester assisted him by moving him to a different cabin to avoid making a mess on the couch. McGuire recalled overhearing Forester discussing creating a false narrative that he had attacked them during a card game. He also mentioned seeing something in Johns' belt, which he thought might have been a starter's pistol. In cross-examination, McGuire revealed that Johns had previously aided him in difficult situations and denied any reasons Johns might have had for shooting him, defending his sexual orientation by stating he was engaged to a young lady in America. He also indicated that Johns had been reprimanding him for being late to work. During the proceedings, Sergeant James Stuart Cromie, a ballistics officer, testified that the ammunition found in the cabin matched test shells from Johns' pistol. The bullet that struck McGuire was later discovered lodged in a birthday cake and was identified to be identical to test bullets fired from the same weapon. Dr. Leo James Walker, a visiting surgeon at Wellington Hospital, elaborated on McGuire's injuries, which included severe internal bleeding due to a puncture wound and damage to his intestines and a major vein. Following surgery and a blood transfusion, McGuire made a recovery, although the bullet remained in his pelvis due to the risks associated with its removal.

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