A response to Gideon Tait on Gangs

A correspondent emailed us to advise that he was there on the night of the events detailed and wished to present his side of the story. We present his response here.

"I was there at the time that he stormed the house in Kerrs Road and he never gave any warnings to what he intended to do that night. He ordered the firing in of the tear gas without any prior warning and there were woman and children around the property at the time. He was hell-bent on arresting every one of us and we all spent three nights locked up out at Paparua Prison. Some may say, good job!"

"Admittedly we were a anti-social group with no real regard for anyone else but ourselves. I do not justify that way of life now. I even commited some very horrendeous crimes. If you looked into the court case over that incident you would see that the whole thing was handled too heavy handedly and from one mans own rage. That is why no convictions were recorded and his methods were not followed through with. If you look at the article again and see the part about the two dogs tied together, that was not true, the dogs were male and female and were knotted, themselves. Some of the neighbours on that evening were joining in with us and testified in court to such."

We have not identified our correspondent out of respect for his privacy, although he identified himself to us, and we felt it important to present both points of view.