Coroner blames brother

A fight between two brothers that left one bleeding to death in the driveway of his Gore home was a gutless, cowardly attack, according to southern coroner David Crerar.

Richard Hugh Briggs, 42, died at his home in Gore on December 23 last year from a stab wound he suffered while struggling with his brother David Briggs.

In his inquest findings, released yesterday, Mr Crerar criticises the actions of David Briggs and his teenage son Paul and lays some of the blame with them.

No-one has been charged in relation to the death and police withdrew an assault charge against David Briggs after consultation with the Crown solicitor.

Mr Crerar says in his findings that evidence about how the stab wound was inflicted was inconclusive, and a forensic scientist could not rule out that the fatal wound was self-inflicted.

"The evidence I have considered neither proves nor disproves the culpability of David Briggs," Mr Crerar says.

"Both David Briggs and Paul Briggs share a responsibility for the death of Richard Briggs. They went to the home of Richard Briggs with the preconceived purpose of inflicting harm upon him and are, in part at least, responsible for the outcome."

Father and son were also morally culpable, aggravated by their failure to help Mr Briggs when he was injured, his decision says.

Richard Briggs' parents and David Briggs yesterday declined to comment on the coroner's report.

The fight happened after tensions within the family came to a head over an altercation between Mr Briggs and his son Rickey, in which the teenager's glasses were broken. Two days before Christmas, David Briggs and his son Paul went to Mr Briggs' house.

David Briggs told the inquest on August 20 that he was "intending to smack him ... I went around to give Richard a hiding".

Mr Crerar says Richard Briggs had tried to avoid a confrontation and responded only when his partner was taunted with foul language.

Paul Briggs confirmed the cowardly and gutless nature of the attack, he said, when he told the inquest it would not have happened had there been one or two people with Richard Briggs, or if Richard had been bigger and stronger than his brother.

Mr Crerar found Richard Briggs died from external blood loss from a stab wound to the front of the left armpit that severed an axillary artery and vein.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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