One of the boys accused of taking part in a fatal dairy robbery told the police it was his friend who stabbed the shop owner.
Arun Kumar Photo: NZ POLICE
Detective Derek Elima told the High Court in Auckland he spoke to a 12-year-old at a house where police found blood smears on the morning of the robbery in June last year.
He said the boy, now a year older and charged with manslaughter, pointed the finger at his friend.
That friend, now 14 years old, is charged with murder. Both also face a charge of assault with intent to rob and have name suppression.
Detective Elima said the boy initially asked why police were at the house.
When he told him there had been a robbery and someone has been killed, the boy replied, "Really?"
The boy initially said he woke up in the morning, made some eggs for breakfast and went back to sleep.
A short time later, the boy's grandmother showed up at the house. She had been out looking for the boy and seemed worried.
Detective Elima arranged for her and the boy to come to the Henderson police station for an intervirew.
It was after a cup of Milo, and during that interview, that the next version of the story came out.
Detective Elima said the boy told him he had been sleeping when his friend, the older boy now charged with murder, woke him up.
He said the older boy was with a mate and said he had got into a fight. He said the boy locked himself in the room.
Detective Elima said he then asked the boy if that was the whole truth.
It was at that point the story changed again.
This time, the boy said he and the older boy, together with the older boy's mate, went to the dairy.
He claimed to be the lookout while the older boy and his mate went inside the dairy.
Detective Elima said it was at this point that the boy named the older boy as the stabber.
Justice Lang warned the jury that they were only allowed to use this evidence in the case against the younger boy.
Detective tells of police search
Earlier, the court heard how police took less than an hour and a half to find the boys.
Detective Shaun Galbraith said he was told about the robbery at the Railside dairy at about 7.20am.
He was also advised by colleagues that police were looking for young people and to check out a specific address in Henderson, where he arrived at about 8.40am.
He said there were a number of people on the veranda when he and another detective showed up and, as the people moved away, he noticed a blood smear on the door.
He said he then searched the house and found more blood smears inside, including bloody clothing in a basket.
Detective Galbraith also found two young men in a bedroom of the house. The Crown has been saying these young men were the accused.
He said, in the bedroom where these boys were found, there were beer bottles on the floor and a makeshift bong for smoking cannabis.
He also did a quick search of the house - there were a few clothes in the drawers and little food in the fridge and kitchen cupboards.
The windows were covered in sheets.
The trial continues.
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