Man denies any threat to life of PM

Nedeljko Gajic will be retried on February 28 on a charge of having had a loaded sawn-off rifle with the intention of killing the Prime Minister. He has pleaded not guilty.

Gajic, who said in evidence he bought a gun and came to Canberra so the police would catch him and send him back to Yugoslavia, was remanded until that date by Mr Justice Joske in the Canberra Supreme Court last night after a jury had failed to reach agreement in the case.

Opening for the prosecution, the Chief Crown Prosecutor, Mr A. R. Watson, said the case and the circumstances were unusual, but the facts were straightforward.

Gajic had come to Australia about three years ago.

He worked in different parts of Australia and it was alleged that for various reasons late this year he formed the intention of “killing the head man of Australia” — the Prime Minister, Mr Holt.

It was alleged that Gajic bought a .22 calibre repeating rifle and ammunition in Sydney and cut the rifle down to form the weapon which would be produced in court.

Gajic came to Canberra on November 10, but on the way he read that Mr Holt was in Melbourne.

He went to Parliament House with the gun and ammunition in a brief case.

He did not see Mr Holt and waited outside Parliament House until November 16, when he gave up the project.

On that day, he hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take him to Queanbeyan. There he gave directions to be driven to a spot near Captains Flat turn-off, where he produced a gun and told the driver to stop.

Gajic alighted and disappeared in the bush.

He was next seen in Braidwood on November 19 by two members of the NSW Police Force, who arrested him. He still had the gun and some ammunition and a newspaper photo of Mr Holt.

Gajic was interviewed by detectives from Canberra and later extradited to the ACT.

The taxi driver, Battista Colussi, of Vasey Crescent. Campbell, said that after they left Queanbeyan, he saw Gajic holding a sawn-off gun in his left hand and pointing it across the car.

Gajic then asked him to drive towards Bungendore. After driving about three miles, Gajic asked him to stop.

When he stopped the car on the side of the road and turned around, Gajic said, ” I don’t want anything out of you, sorry “.

He said ” sorry ” a couple of times and then ordered him out of the car.

Colussi said that after getting out of the car, he walked across the road. At the same time, Gajic alighted and ran into the bush, saying ” Sorry, boss, sorry “.

Constable Raymond John Greentree, of Bungendore, said that on the afternoon of November 19, he was on duty with Constable Lionel John Morrish in Braidwood.

He saw Gajic in Wallace Street, Braidwood.

Questioned about the rifle, Gajic said a friend gave it to him in Sydney.

At the Braidwood Police Station Const Morrish took a wallet from inside Gajic‘s coat pocket. This wallet contained a newspaper photo of Mr Holt.

Corroborative evidence was given by Const Morrish.

” No intention to kill “

Detective Inspector Harold Franklin Luton said in evidence that there was nothing on Gajic to suggest that he was a known political fanatic.

Det Insp Luton, of the Canberra CIB, said that on November 23, with Detective Sergeant M. J. Robinson and an interpreter, Mr Kres Marinic, he saw Gajic at the Braidwood Police Station.

In the course of an interview, Gajic said he had come to Canberra with the intention of killing Mr Holt.

Cross-examined by Mr Gallop, Det Insp Luton said that before this case there was nothing about Gajic to give rise to any suggestion that he was a known political fanatic.

There had been some recent political activity in this area by Serbo-Croatians and people from Yugoslavia generally, and some incidents about a flag at Cooma.

Wanted to return

Gajic was not at any time asked specifically why he wanted to kill Mr Holt.

Evidence was given also by Det Sgt Robinson, Kres Marinic, of Endeavour Street, Red Hill and Detective Constable I. C. Broomby.

Gajic said in evidence that he did not have many friends in Australia. His brothers and sisters were in Yugoslavia and he used to write to them. He sent about $400 to his brothers.

He would rather go back to Yugoslavia, but did not have the fare.

Gajic said he decided to buy the gun seven days before coming to Canberra.

He decided to buy the gun and come to Canberra so the police would catch him and send him back to Yugoslavia.

He came to Canberra on November 10 and went to Parliament House, as he was interested in seeing what it looked like inside.

He knew the Prime Minister was not in Canberra.

Gajic said anybody could see him at Parliament House. He did not show the gun to anyone there but thought that if the police noticed him around the place for four or five days they would find out.

No policeman spoke to him, so at the end of six days he decided to return to Sydney to look for work.

He never intended killing the Prime Minister, who had not done anything to him.

He told the police he intended to kill the Prime Minister because he expected them to send him back to Yugoslavia.

Cross-examined by Mr Watson, Gajic said he cut the barrel off the gun so he could put it in his brief case. He came to Canberra with the gun so he could be caught by the police.

He agreed that there were police in Sydney, but he came to Canberra to make them really believe he came here to kill the Prime Minister, but he denied that he came here to kill Mr Holt.

‘Could not save fare’

Mr Watson: Before today had you ever told anyone that your reason for coming to Canberra was something other than to kill Mr Holt? Gajic: I told it to people who were with me in prison.

If you wanted to get back to Yugoslavia, why did you not save up for your fare?— I could not save any money. I spent the money on drink.

You sent S400 to your brothers? — Yes, but that was one year ago.

That would have paid your fare home? — Yes.

Umar Lillepruun, who was called by Gajic, said he was now in custody and knew Gajic, whom he had seen in the police cells.

On Friday last, Gajic told him he wanted the police to catch him and put him in gaol because he was hungry and had no money or work.

Gajic also told him that he had been accused of trying to kill the Prime Minister. He said there was no reason for this because if he wanted to kill the Prime Minister he would have gone to Melbourne and not come to Canberra.

Migrant psychosis

Dr A. J. Merrifield, specialist psychiatrist, gave evidence that Gajic was suffering from a “migrant psychosis”.

Dr Merrifield said he had examined Gajic three times (twice in one day) on behalf of the Crown.

Gajic told him he had never been in trouble with the police, had never had a fight and that he did not want to kill anyone except Mr Holt.

Gajic had also said it would be ridiculous for him to fight or kill all the Australians who had offended him, for this would mean he had to kill half the Australians and he did not want to kill so many people.

In the final interview, Gajic had said the whole thing was bad and that it; had all been wrong. He had said that to kill the Prime Minister because other Australians were bad to him was incorrect.

Gajic had spoken of his misfortune in being caught as he was and said he had given up his intention, was going back to Sydney to start again and that his cardinal mistake was in taking a taxi without having money to pay.

Dr Merrifield said Gajic was suffering from a migrant psychosis, which was a variant of schizophrenia, which was delineated from the more classical variety in the sense that the isolation of migration seemed to play a large part in it. One of the symptoms was a rejection of the host country and a desire to return to the mother country.

Gajic had been isolated in the community and had not found anyone to communicate with and had become increasingly withdrawn.

Dr Merrifield said that Gajic had said that from the time he came to Australia he had been treated badly by Australians who had called him bad names like “wog” and “bastard“. He said there was no particular reason for them saying such things.

Dr Merrifield said there was no suggestion that Gajic was hearing voices because he had asked him if he heard people saying these things when he was in bed and his answer was, ” What a silly question. I sleep by myself “.

It was believed people had called Gajic derogatory names and he had, from these, built up his resentment.

Without finding any relief for it, Gajic finally felt that expression was essential and hence the plan to shoot the Prime Minister.

Answering Mr Watson, Dr Merrifield said the condition of migrant psychosis was a major mental illness and not uncommon in the migrant population.