Inmate stabbed through heart, court hears

JOHN SELKIRK

ON TRIAL: Graeme Burton in the dock, charged with the attempted murder of a fellow inmate.

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Prisoner Graeme Burton stalked a fellow inmate up and down jail corridors before plunging a sharpened steel rod through his heart, a high court jury has been told.

Burton, 38, is charged with attempting to murder fellow Paremoremo inmate Dwayne Marsh on December 20, last year.

He denied the charge when he appeared at the High Court in Auckland this morning, surrounded by six security guards.

The court heard that the stabbing took place at Auckland Prison when Burton, Marsh and four other high security prisoners in his unit block were allowed time outside their cells for recreation.

In her opening address, crown prosecutor Deb Bell said that, on the morning of the attack, Burton had entered Marsh's cell with a weapon in each hand.

Marsh backed out of his cell and Burton chased him up and down the prison hallways at least four times, Ms Bell said.

He eventually attacked Marsh with two weapons, including a 31cm metal rod which had been sharpened to a point.

"By the time the guards reached the landing and raised the alarm Mr Marsh had been stabbed at least seven times," Ms Bell said.

Corrections staff pulled Marsh out of the cell block and took him to the prison infirmary.

By the time the ambulance arrived to transport him to hospital, Marsh had gone into shock, his face had turned grey and his eyes had rolled back in his head, Ms Bell told the court.

He had three deep wounds to his chest and underwent emergency surgery at North Shore Hospital.

The door to the dock was left open throughout the court's morning session so Burton could rest his prosthetic leg on a chair

A seven man and five woman jury has been selected to hear the case which is expected to last four days.