Sentencing of man behind Onekawa siege ends in scrap with security

It took at least five security officers to restrain Hemi Taylor after he was sentenced. Photo / Warren Buckland

The sentencing of the man behind a 12-hour standoff in Napier, ended in a scrap, with Hemi Taylor having to be dragged out of the dock by court security.

Taylor emerged from an Alexander Ave house carrying a baby at 1.30am on June 25, after an 12-hour standoff that saw several blocks of Napier cordoned off.

The 26-year-old, who previously pled guilty to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm related to the standoff, appeared before Judge Tony Adeane in Napier District Court on Tuesday for sentencing.

Adeane sentenced Taylor to two years and five months for possession and 18 months for discharging the firearm, to be served concurrently.

Five court security officers were involved in restraining Taylor after he refused to leave the dock following Adeane's decision.

Taylor appeared to attempt to punch the officers, and ended up on the ground in the process.

Adeane earlier said mitigating factors in the sentence included Taylor's early plea.

However, he said the involvement of an infant in the case was serious, citing a similar situation in which a 2-year-old girl was killed by her parent.

He described the offending, which resulted in a 12-hour lockdown in the Napier suburb of Onekawa before Taylor emerged with a baby, as serious.

He said Taylor's remorse was still to be tested.

He said Taylor was paranoid at the time of the stand-off after he had consumed methamphetamine he was supposed to transport from Napier to Gisborne for the Mongrel Mob.

On June 24 he and his partner visited her mother, where he took out a cut off shot-gun and yelled gang slogans.

By the time he, along with his partner and child, returned home to Alexander Ave, police had been alerted.

The resulting stand-off lasted 12 hours ending at 1.30am when Taylor agreed to surrender.

Reparations were not sought.