Murder accused told police he was prepared to die

Murder accused Antonie Dixon told a negotiator he was prepared to die during an armed standoff with police, either by shooting himself or by forcing police to shoot him, a jury was told today.

The jury at the High Court in Auckland listened to the tape made as police negotiator Senior Sergeant Wendy Spiller spoke to Dixon when he was in an East Tamaki house, as Ian Miller was held hostage.

The stand-off lasted from about 2am until after 6am on January 22, 2003, when the first 1-1/2 hours of phone calls were not recorded.

Dixon, 40, faces eight charges relating to the incident which occurred when Rennee Gunbie and Simonne Butler were attacked with a samurai sword at Pipiroa, near Thames, and James Te Aute was shot dead in Auckland.

Dixon was found guilty in 2005 on eight charges including murder and causing grievous bodily harm but the Court of Appeal later ordered a second trial, suppressing its reasons for quashing his convictions.

Dixon told Ms Spiller he knew he was going to die that night.

"You can't talk me out of it."

Dixon said he knew police wanted to kill him and that he wanted to kill himself.

"I'm on a one-way ticket. I'm going to die."

During the negotiations, Dixon, who made racist remarks throughout, spoke of how he had been double-crossed by Ms Gunbie who he believed was a police informant and thought his girlfriend Ms Butler was sleeping with policemen.

Dixon said he had shot Mr Te Aute because he was "acting like an American rapper Tupac".

Dixon told Ms Spiller, whom he called Kate throughout the conversation, he wanted to work for the police under cover in Iraq to kill Osama bin Laden and also described drug deals and New Zealand gangs.

Dixon also said he got his morals from the Bible, that he was a moral man "in a moral situation".

Ms Spiller made continued attempts to get Dixon to surrender as she believed he would kill himself and Mr Miller.

"Yeah, and you can't do nothing, Kate, and you know why.

"I'm going to die and I'd rather die from a f..king rope than in jail or I'm going to die by shooting myself in the head and I'd rather go that way because as soon as I get to jail, mate, it's going to be war for me."

Dixon said he would "prove himself" by shooting himself in the head.

Ms Spiller told Dixon police did not want to shoot him.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to get my arm twisted today, I'm not going in a police car. I'd just stay here, man, I don't care I'm prepared for you to come in with your Glock 9mm and stick it through my forehead. But are you prepared to go the same way?"

Dixon was reduced to tears by the end of the negotiations and released Mr Miller, who said Dixon was lying in the bedroom crying.

The trial continues tomorrow.

 

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