Gun charges laid after couple flee CYF

A young Palmerston North couple sparked a wild chase through Otago because they feared Child Youth and Family (CYF) would take two children from them, a crown prosecutor said today.

In the High Court at Timaru, Chris Shaw, 25, pleaded guilty to five charges of using a firearm against a police officer but denied a charge of discharging a firearm at Constable Darrin Low of Oamaru.

Shaw has also admitted three charges mistreating children.

Stacey Snelleksz, 20, pleaded not guilty to being a party to all six firearms charges and also denied three charges of mistreating children.

Crown prosecutor Tim Gresson told a jury of eight women and four men that the couple had been facing a raft of theft and other dishonesty charges and been released on bail to return to Palmerston North.

Mr Gresson said that, when the couple reached Picton, they had feared CYF would take Snelleksz's children from them and decided to "go bush".

They then abandoned their own vehicle, stole a Land Rover and headed back south to Christchurch from where they stole a large trailer which they hitched behind the Land Rover.

At Ashburton the couple stole a shotgun, a .22 rifle and ammunition before continuing southwards, Mr Gresson said.

Sergeant Wayne Brew of Oamaru police said that on February 2 this year he saw the Land Rover towing the large trailer in Oamaru and, as he was aware there were small children with the suspects, radioed for an unmarked police car to follow them.

Mr Brew said he was told the suspects had purchased a police radio scanner in Oamaru and they knew they were being followed.

He then described a dramatic high speed police chase involving police cars, a helicopter and the Armed Offenders Squad, from Oamaru to Palmerston. Speeds up to 150kmh were reached.

Mr Brew said the stolen Land Rover carrying the defendants and two small children swerved across the centre line several times in what he believed was a manoeuvre to persuade police to abandon the chase.

When the stolen vehicle swerved to avoid road spikes he saw a firearm being aimed out of the passenger window of the Land Rover, which was fired in the direction of Constables Darrin Low and Paul Alden who had set up the road block.

The stolen vehicle then turned onto Horse Range Road near Palmerston where Mr Brew said it narrowly missed a man on a ride-on lawn mower before going out of control and crashing into some trees.

The defendants were arrested following a cross country chase on foot during which police allege Shaw again threatened them with a firearm several times and used a child as a human shield.

After the arrest Mr Brew said he had asked Shaw why he had fired at police and said the defendant had told him: "I was hoping you guys would back off".

During the pursuit the nearby East Otago High School was "locked down" until the defendants had been arrested. School bus drivers and parents waiting to pick up children after school were taken inside the school and remained there until the all-clear was given half an hour after the last classes had finished for the day.

Shaw, shaven headed, took an active interest in today's proceedings, passing notes to his counsel Bernadette Farnan and his co-accused.

Snelleksz sat impassively, turning occasionally to smile at family in court.

The trial, before Justice John Fogarty, is expected to last until Thursday.

- NZPA