Joshua Maynard.
Thomas Maynard held his hands on his brother’s chest to stop him from bleeding after he was shot during a Raymond Terrace street fight, a Newcastle jury heard yesterday.
Thomas gave details about the hours before his brother, Joshua Maynard (pictured) , 21, was killed on June 29, 2010, telling the court it wasn’t something he wanted to remember.
“As we pulled up [on Links Drive, Raymond Terrace] we could see they had poles and weapons,” he said referring to the other group.
“I seen me brother jump out of the car so I just got out with him.”
Thomas, who was 19 years old at the time, told the court he got a knife out of the back seat of the car and held it by his side because he saw a man with a gun.
Other witnesses have told the court Joshua also had a large knife, or a sword, but Thomas said he didn’t think his brother had a weapon.
He told the court he didn’t know the man who was holding the gun but that he was “pointing it straight at us” and said, “Maynard, I’m going to shoot ya”.
“I said [to Joshua], ‘get in the car’ and pretty much as soon as I said ‘get in the car’, old mate pulled the trigger,” he said.
“Me brother yelled out ‘ah’ and I turned around ...[Joshua] picked up a brick and then stumbled towards the car.
“I turned around and pulled him into the car with me.
“I had me hands on Josh’s chest trying to stop him from bleeding.”
Thomas said he had been drinking home-brewed whisky and smoking marijuana leading up to the fight, which broke out before midnight.
He said a mate was the designated driver and was driving the group in Joshua’s car to the Lakeside Tavern to get more alcohol.
This was when they were confronted by about 30 people who blocked the road in front of their car, he told the court.
The group was split into two and were allegedly throwing poles and bottles at the car as they approached, Thomas said.
Chad Shedden, 34, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. His barrister told the court previously he was acting in defence of himself and his brother when he shot Mr Maynard.
