Bryan Guy was giving evidence in the High Court at Wellington this afternoon at the trial of his son-in-law Ewen Macdonald, who has denied shooting Scott Guy dead in his driveway as he was setting out to milk cows early on July 8, 2010.
On that day the shotgun was not where he usually kept it, in a locked firearms safe in a garage on the farm.
Under questioning by Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk, Mr Guy said he had told police it was kept locked up but confessed after Macdonald's arrest that two pieces of the broken-down firearm had been stored out of sight behind a cupboard in the farm office. Another part was in the cabinet, along with the ammunition.
That was done for ease of access when the shotgun was being used regularly in April and May 2010 to scare off sparrows and ducks that were raiding the silage.
A gas gun usually employed for the purpose was not working.
Mr Guy said normally he was diligent at keeping the shotgun secure, was very conscious of firearm safety and had impressed it on his two sons.
"This time I had broken my own rules. I was using it fairly often to scare birds off the silage and didn't bother locking it up.''
The day Scott died, he said "I put it away straight away. I locked it up immediately that morning.''
Mr Guy said he also told Ewen Macdonald to lock up a rifle the accused sometimes kept in his hotwater cupboard.
Defence lawyer Greg King: "You lied to the police?''
Witness: "I didn't tell the truth. I guess you could say it was a lie but I certainly didn't admit it (that the shotgun had not always been locked away).''
He had since handed the farm gun over to the police. Mr Guy said did not remember if he had given Macdonald the combination to the safe to access the shotgun but "may have.''
The firearm did not appear to have been moved while it was hidden in the office.
Bryan Guy, who will continue his evidence tomorrow, also told the court how he found out the shocking news of his son's death. His wife Joanne was out at swimming and he was at home alone in Feilding checking farming information on the internet when their son-in-law rang on his cell phone.
"Ewen was very distressed. He was almost incoherent. He said something has happened to Scott. I remember him saying 'his face... You better get out here.' And that was the end of the conversation.''
Mr Guy said he "took off'', knowing something was drastically wrong.
The words, "his face'', stuck with him.
"I wasn't sure if Ewen had actually seen Scott at the time or afterward. My first thought was that it was an accident on the farm.''
The man who discovered Scott Guy's body, neighbour David Berry, told of how a distraught Macdonald subsequently arrived at the murder scene.
Mr Berry said he heard a quad bike coming up the road - "I don't think I've heard one go so fast.''
Macdonald, who he knew only to wave out to, came up to him.
"He looked very distressed. His eyes were watery - although it was a cool morning.''
Mr Berry was unsure if the accused had gone over to the body.
A Feilding police officer described the gruesome scene in the driveway of Scott Guy lying with a gaping hole to the throat.
He died from wounds to his neck, face and arm.
Acting shift sergeant Neil Martin said Mr Scott's eyes were open but glazed over. He was prone on his back, feet toward the road. There was blood around the head and upper body.
After dropping to one knee to check unsuccessfully for a pulse, Mr Martin said he saw that an ambulance officer had arrived. Mr Guy was then confirmed dead.
Neighbouring deer farmer, Bruce Johnstone, gave evidence of receiving a telephone call from his friend, truck driver David Berry, who discovered Mr Guy's body. When Mr Johnstone got to the scene, he phoned Macdonald to let him know Scott Guy was dead.
Macdonald asked if he was joking, then used a quad bike to get there.
When police arrived Mr Johnstone told them they needed to make sure Mr Guy's family was alright.
Shortly after he noticed that Kylee Guy had pulled the blind up to see what all the commotion was about.
She was then standing on the doorstep, with her son Hunter in her arms.
Police told her to stay where she was and they would come to her.
At the start of the second day of the six-week trial this morning Justice Simon France said a female juror had "become unavailable'' and had been discharged.
Proceedings would be continuing with 11 remaining jurors.
Also revealed today by Scott Guy's father Bryan when he took the stand was that it was the 36th wedding anniversary of he and his wife, Joanne, on Tuesday - the opening day of the trial of their son-in-law for the murder of their elder son.
It was also the 32nd birthday of Ewen Macdonald, accused of killing Scott.
Married to the Guy's daughter Anna and father to her four young children, Macdonald was one of the pallbearers at Scott's funeral nine months before his arrest. Scott was best man at the Macdonalds' wedding.
