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Worrell guilty of murder of Katie Powles

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Fri, 06 Nov 2009 1:33p.m. UPDATED AT 02:32PM

Tony Worrell is denying charges of murder, and intent to cause grievous bodily harm

Tony Worrell is denying charges of murder, and intent to cause grievous bodily harm

Tony Worrell has been found guilty of the murder of Katie Powles, 26, who died when his car smashed into hers at Karaka, south of Auckland, on June 3.
 
He has also been found guilty of grievous bodily harm to another motorist whose car he crashed into and two of four charges of attempted intentional damage. 

Tony Worrell, 50, of Swanson in West Auckland, had denied all the charges.
 
The jury returned a short time ago to ask Justice Andrews two questions.

Justice Pamela Andrews and lawyers were forced into chambers to argue the definition when jurors asked what the meaning of 'intent' was.

Jurors were then instructed not to get caught up on whether it was suicide, but that they need to decide one way or another whether Worrell intended to cause grevious bodily harm.

They then asked what the effect of drugs or a medical condition on intent was. Justice Andrews informed them that a drunken intent can still be intent. 

The jury of five men and seven women in the High Court trial at Auckland began their deliberations about 11.20am yesterday.

Just before 1pm today, they told Justice Andrews they were having difficulty reaching a united decision. But Justice Pamela Andrews encouraged them to try again. They have since broken for lunch.

NZPA / 3 News
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Comments

06 Nov 2009 11:57p.m.

Jan.. wrote:

If you think the men is guilty and by all means send him to where ever you think his fate is..
I let you be the judge of this idiot..

06 Nov 2009 06:45p.m.

angela wrote:

A car accident is when something occurs out of no fault of the driver this was not an accident jan it was a man who left his house drove intoxicated miles from his house with the intention of topping himself and instead robbing a mother and father of there daughter a husband of his wife a sister of her only sibling and many friends who loved her dearly. you cant justify his actions and plead on his behalf unless you lost someone from his actions? No then i think you are not really able to ask us all to treat it as an accident. I feel sorry for the man but more as you would for a stray tom cat than as a human being. you can see he is remorsful and thats good.

06 Nov 2009 05:01p.m.

Richard wrote:

He crashed his car into the others on purpose, in order to take his own life..what did he think would happen to those people whose car he crashed into?..he didnt care about them, only wanted to end his own misery..why not crash his car into a tree or a wall at high speed instead? he now has ruined many peoples lives and created a ripple affect in society and killed off generations of children that this young lady could have had....

06 Nov 2009 05:01p.m.

John wrote:

Pull the other one Jan. You can't seriously be that ignorant/naive? He INTENTIONALLY drove his car into another. That is anything BUT an accident.

06 Nov 2009 04:26p.m.

katrina wrote:

I don't think he intended to murder anyone else. He was just so caught up in his own misery the others were victims of his suicide attempt. I think he should definately do time for manslaughter though.

06 Nov 2009 03:59p.m.

Jan.. wrote:

I wouldn't called car accident a murderer, it was a car accident so please treated as an accident not murder..
People die of car accident not intentionlly but it was a car accident..