Urewera raids trial begins

The Urewera trial has been adjourned for two hours after a short legal argument in chambers at the High Court in Auckland.

The nature of the argument cannot be reported.

The High Court trial of four people charged after the Urewera raids got underway today - more than four years after armed police descended on the East Coast township of Ruatoki.

Tame Wairere Iti, Te Rangikaiwhira Kemara, Emily Felicity Bailey and Urs Signer are facing charges of participating in an organised criminal group, unlawful possession of firearms and possession of restricted weapons.

All four have pleaded not guilty.

Thirteen of the original defendants in the case had their charges dropped after the Supreme Court ruled that video footage taken by covert cameras was inadmissible.

But the court also found that alleged offending by the remaining four were serious enough to allow the Crown to use the evidence.

Iti's lawyer, Russell Fairbrother, said he thinks it's unlikely he'll need to call evidence in defence of his client.

"We don't think there's enough evidence to support the present charges,'' he told Radio New Zealand this morning.

The long wait for trial had been "very stressful'' for his client, said Mr Fairbrother.

He said they were ready to call evidence if necessary and said they had "persuasive'' evidence, but did not expect to have to use it.

"I am very sure that Mr Iti has a good defence,'' he told the radio station.

According to an indictment filed at the Auckland High Court last September, the Crown alleges that they were members of an organised criminal group between November 2006 and October 2007.

It is alleged that the group would have committed violent offences including murder, arson, intentional damage, endangering transport, wounding with intent, injuring with intent, aggravated wounding, discharging a firearm or doing a dangerous act with intent, using a firearm against police, committing a crime with a firearm and kidnapping.

The Crown have also listed the guns which they allege the group had. They include a sawn-off shotgun, a Lee Enfield .303, a rifle, a sawn-off rifle and four other rifles.

It is also alleged that the group had Molotov cocktails and semi-automatic rifles, including an AK47 style rifle.

A protest outside court has also been planned by supporters of the accused.

The trial is set down for three months but some lawyers involved say it is unlikely to take that long.

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