Two men convicted of the manslaughter of Hamilton man Barry Rimene have been jailed for 10 years and five years respectively.
In the High Court at Hamilton yesterday, Anthony Vaughn Waikato, aged 30, was jailed for 10 years for instigating the kidnapping and attack on Barry Maihera Rimene on February 17 last year.
Imposing the sentences, Justice Tony Randerson said the assault, after which Mr Rimene's body was dumped in the Waikato River, was a vicious and callous attack on a man who could not fight back.
Barry Te Ono Tawera, 29, was jailed for five years, after pleading guilty to manslaughter for his part - which included tying Mr Rimene up and loading him into the boot of a car.
Justice Randerson told Tawera that although he may not have been aware of Waikato's intention at the beginning, he could have walked away, but did not.
The court was told how the two men arrived at a house and began giving Mr Rimene "the bash," until he was unconscious.
They then tied both his hands and feet, covered his head with a pillowcase and loaded him into the boot of a car.
Tawera was dropped off before Waikato drove to the Horotiu bridge and threw Mr Rimene into the Waikato river.
Pathologists could not confirm if Mr Rimene was alive or dead before he was thrown in the water, but Waikato had admitted to police that he knew he would drown.
Waikato's lawyer, Paul Mabey, QC, told the court that Waikato was labouring under the perception that Mr Rimene had threatened to have Waikato's "missus" raped in front of him by members of the Nomads gang.
Justice Randerson said it was a reason for the action, but not an excuse, and there had been a two-week delay between Rimene's alleged threat and Waikato's actions.
"I cannot condone taking the law into their own hands for reasons that seem justifiable to them."
Another man, William Katipa, was jailed for a year on a charge of being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.
Katipa had destroyed all forensic evidence of the crime when he burned out the car used to carry Mr Rimene's body to the river.
Jail for pair in river death case
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