Hunter avoids jail after killing the grandfather of Bay of Plenty during the "roar" & # 39;

A Waikato who shot and killed a grandfather Katikati while he was hunting avoided prison

Quentin Clay McCreedy and Gordon Douglas Leech, 57, hunted deer in the Kaimai Range when McCreedy took Leech for a deer

He fired a shot that mortally struck him in the chest

McCreedy, of Waitoa, was charged with the careless use of a weapon at fire causing the death of Leech that he admitted when appearing in court . was back in Hamilton District Court today for being convicted by Judge Rosemary Riddell

who was hunting in a dense forest far from Wairakau Rd, about 15 km south of Te Aroha.

Leech was alone and McCreedy, 37 years old.

The pair hunted during the Easter weekend during the roar or peak hunting season – when deer roam unafraid to watch for females.

McCreedy and Leech were about 26 meters apart when shot was fired.

McCre Edy's lawyer, Roger Laybourn, urged the judge to consider a term of imprisonment in a community setting

McCreedy was an experienced 12-year-old hunter but admitted that He had not correctly identified his target

. McCreedy violated a fundamental rule of hunting by not identifying his target.

The judge acknowledged that he had violated a fundamental rule of sport and noted McCreedy's own admission that he had been caught in the "deer fever". 19659002] She took into account the victim's view that she did not want to incarcerate him at the same time as his genuine remorse and the fact that he was at risk of losing his job as a career trucker.

She acknowledged that the incident

Judge Riddell sentenced him to six months of detention in the community with a curfew from 7 pm to 7 pm, a year of supervision, 200 hours of community work and $ 10,000 of emotionalism. I hurt the repair that he had previously offered.