Mother jailed for role in torturing woman

Brenda-Lee Rameka, 35, was sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday.

A Rotorua woman has been jailed for more than two years for her role in kidnapping a woman and threatening to cut her tongue out.

Brenda-Lee Rameka, 35, was sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday having previously pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, injuring with intent to injure and threatening to do grievous bodily harm.

According to the police summary of facts, the victim was friends with Rameka whose family had affiliations to Black Power. The victim's family had links to the Mongrel Mob.

On February 23, 2013, Rameka took the woman from Tauranga to her Rotorua home, where Simon Rameka, 43, was serving a home detention sentence.

Rameka told her brother the victim had stolen his money. He then grabbed the victim, put a pillowcase over her head and forced her to sit on the kitchen floor for 16 hours.

During this time, both kicked and punched her. Rameka hit her with a blunt instrument and said she was going to cut out her tongue and her eyes. Her brother got shearing scissors or secateurs and told the victim he was going to cut her fingers off.

He pressed the blades on to her hands, drawing blood. He also held a blunt instrument to the back of her head and said "should I shoot you?", while laughing with his sister.

In the early hours of the morning, when the siblings were asleep, the victim escaped by jumping out a window and ran to Rotorua Hospital. She had suffered numerous injuries, including cuts to her finger joint.

Simon Rameka was sentenced in August to three years' imprisonment for his part in the incident.

In determining the final sentence, Justice John Fogarty said that it was the court's view that Rameka had triggered the offending.

"Your brother, Simon had been trying to collect some money off you and you said the victim had stolen it."

But he took into account supporting letters from an alcohol and drug counselling service, "significant" members of the community, her family and friends and Rameka herself.

"You're a mother of young children and I'm sure you know that you must be there for them and not in jail. However, this is very serious offending and there is no basis for me to avoid imposing a jail sentence."

Justice Fogarty sentenced Rameka to two years and three months in prison.