Pair jailed for organising assault that ended in death

Raymond Piper. Photo / Supplied

A judge has told a woman who paid to have her daughter's partner beaten up, but who instead was killed, that her three year prison sentence would have been far longer had an attempt to call off the hit not been made.

Susan Laura Bragger, 45-year-old mother of Raymond (Son) Piper's partner of several years, Hanna Lark, paid gang member Ainsley Brent Anderson $3500 to teach Mr Piper a lesson.

But Anderson brutally stabbed Mr Piper to death and buried him in a remote grave near Paraparaumu, on the Kapiti Coast.

He has since been sentenced for Mr Piper's murder to life imprisonment with a minimum parole period of 14 years in November.

Bragger's brother, Sean Michael Hawke, 51, organised for Anderson to assault Mr Piper because he had "disrespected the family".

Bragger and Hawke were both sentenced in the High Court in Wellington today to three years' prison after pleading guilty in Porirua District Court last year to conspiring to cause Mr Piper grievous bodily harm.

In her victim impact report read out in court today Mr Piper's sister Aroha spoke of remembering Bragger come into her family's home when her brother was missing and crying with them.

"I know now they were crocodile tears."

She said she dreaded the time when Mr Piper's son would ask about his father and she would have to tell him what his grandmother had done.

Mr Piper's mother Pania spoke of the "huge void" left in her family's life.

She said how Bragger had even offered to put up reward money during the search for her son.

"I can't and I will never forgive you."

Crown prosecutor Grant Burston said the tragic chain of events that led to Mr Piper's death began during a series of text messages between Bragger and Hawke.

Bragger had complained to Hawke that Mr Piper had ruined her daughter's 21st by being involved in a fight and she wanted him gone.

Hawke then arranged for Anderson to injure Mr Piper enough to hospitalise him and haggled a price of $3500.

Bragger agreed: "Just get it done. Thanks a lot," her text said.

However, 10 days after the 21st party, Bragger attempted to call off the hit by telling Anderson not to go through with it. She even agreed he could keep the money, and Mr Burston said that action should be taken into account.

Bragger's lawyer Mike Antunovic said the fight at her daughter's party was the "last straw" after years of a tumultuous relationship between Ms Lark and Mr Piper.

He described it as a "caring parent's anguish" and was totally out of character for her.

"The death of Raymond Piper was never discussed or even remotely contemplated by any of them."

Val Nisbet, who appeared for Hawke, said his actions were out of "stupid loyalty" to his sister.

Justice Warwick Gendall said the pair had unleashed a "violent thug" on Mr Piper and they were lucky a harsher charge had not been brought against them.

"You were involved in a chilling, premeditated, appalling arrangement aimed at harming another human being by a thug for money."

He accepted Bragger had tried to have the hit called off, but her attempts were "half-hearted".

She could have attempted to warn Mr Piper, her daughter or the authorities to the danger he was in, Justice Gendall said.

Home detention was "out of the question", he said.

Outside court Aroha Piper said she was pleased Bragger and Hawke had a prison term over home detention, but it would never be long enough.

She and her aunt said they did not believe Bragger had ever tried to call off the hit.

"She's just a professional liar."

- NZPA