$6m trial act of racism – Signer

All the defendants have been sentenced, but the legal saga of the Urewera four is far from over.

Urs Signer and Emily Bailey were each sentenced to nine months’ home detention in the High Court at Auckland yesterday for the firearms offences that they were found guilty of after their six-week trial.

The pair will serve their sentences in the small Tara- naki community of Parihaka.

Outside court yesterday, Signer told waiting media the convictions were a ‘‘travesty’’, and the entire case was ‘‘racist’’.

He said he and Bailey intended to file appeals against both their sentences and convictions.

‘‘The whole case has been racist through and through. From day one this has been an operation to shut down Tuhoe aspirations for mana motuhake,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s what it’s been all about, this whole case. Nothing else.’’

Signer and Bailey’s coaccused – political activist Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara – have already lodged their appeals on the weapons charges they were convicted of.

Iti and Kemara are serving 21⁄ year jail sentences for the crimes.

Yesterday, Signer said: ‘‘Two people are now sitting in jail, we’re on home detention.

‘‘We’ve been sentenced essentially on the charge we haven’t been convicted of.’’

Signer maintained there was nothing sinister about the group’s meetings in the Ureweras during 2006 and 2007.

‘‘There was no plan at any point to commit serious vio- lent offences. There was no plan at all. The plan has always been to advance te mana motuhake of Tuhoe.’’

Legal costs for the case have been revealed as nearing $3 million for the defence alone, with Crown costs tipping the bill to more than $6m.

After a six-week trial earlier this year, all but Signer were found guilty of five charges of unlawful pos- session of firearms, and one charge of unlawful possession of a restricted weapon – Molotov cocktails.

Signer was found guilty on four charges of unlawful possession of firearms, and one charge of unlawful possession of a restricted weapon.

Iti, Kemara and Bailey were found not guilty of four firearms charges, and Signer not guilty of five.