Man protests to Queen: 'Court has no right to try me' | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

A man who has written to the Queen and the Governor-General to protest that he refuses to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the courts appeared in the Wanganui District Court yesterday to defend himself against an assault charge.

Ohakune man George Lee Hemara, 40, said he had been waiting for his day in court for 16 months.

He said he had turned down bail and remained in custody all that time so that there would be no "comeback".

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time," he told the court.

Hemara faced one charge of grievous bodily harm relating to an incident on June 10, 2009, during a party at the Ohakune house where he had been living for about 12 months.

Hemara told Judge John Clapham he would be representing himself and that he did not acknowledge his counsel Stephen Ross or the jurisdiction of the court.

He said he had written to the Queen and Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand about his case, asking them to declare that he should not be facing a trial and must be released. He was awaiting their replies.

Judge Clapham said even though Hemara had refused Mr Ross' legal counsel, Mr Ross would stay in court to assist.

Crown prosecutor Lance Rowe said it was alleged Hemara had inflicted a sustained assault on another man, Mark Evans, who also lived at the address.

Mr Evans had started drinking with his partner and other adults in the house including Hemara, by 5.30pm.

Mr Rowe said that by 9pm they were all quite drunk and an argument between Mr Evans' partner, Aroha Koha, and her daughter resulted in Mr Evans getting angry. Mr Evans went outside and punched a hole in a wall.

Hemara followed and assaulted Mr Evans, Mr Rowe alleged.

He repeatedly punched Mr Evans in the head and, when Mr Evans fell to the ground, Hemara "stomped" on him making a "hissing" sound, Mr Rowe said.

Mr Evans was rendered unconscious and suffered fractures to his cheekbone and eye socket as well cuts, bruises and grazes over his body.

Taking the stand, Mr Evans told the court he had no recollection of what had happened because he had been "pretty intoxicated".

"I can't remember how the attack," he said. "The next I remember is being in the ambulance. I don't know how I got there ... must have been knocked out or something."

During cross-examination, Hemara said he had been "waiting a long time for this".

He told Mr Evans that he had not been drinking with them because he had been at rugby practice until about 9pm. He said that when he came back and was cooking in the kitchen, a little girl came running in, screaming for help.

Hemara said he found Aroha lying on the washhouse floor, so he went outside to talk to find Evans.

"And you started striking at me with a closed fist but you missed every time," he said.

Hemara said the alleged assault had been purely self-defence.

Carlee Taylor-Kohu told the court that she had gone to bed early, that she had not joined party and had not been drinking .

Miss Taylor-Kohu, Hemara's niece, said she was woken by the sound of children screaming: "He's going to die, he's going to die."

She got up and ran outside and, when she saw Hemara "stomping" on Mr Evans' head, she yelled at him to stop. "You're going to kill him," she said.

She rushed back inside to get her grandfather, who had also gone to bed early, and together they rang police and an ambulance, she said.

Miss Taylor-Kohu told Mr Ross she did not remember Hemara going to rugby practice that night.

"I remember him coming home. I don't remember him going to rugby."

In his cross-examination of Miss Taylor-Kohu, Hemara asked her if she had come to court "clean".

He asked if she was under the influence of drugs and would she be prepared to take a test.

She replied she certainly was not under the influence and would willingly take a test.

Judge Clapham reprimanded Hemara, telling him he was to question the witness not challenge her.

But Miss Taylor-Kohu told Hemara that he had used standover tactics once too often with everyone and there was not a person who would say he didn't do it. The trial is due to finish today.