10 years for raid on paralympian's home

Two men have been given long jail terms for the brutal home invasion of swimming paralympian Dean Booth and his wheelchair-bound partner, Emma Gray.

At the High Court in Auckland yesterday Justice Geoffrey Venning sentenced Isaiah Eugene Mokaraka, 27, to 10 1/2 years and Benjamin Richard Simeon, 32, to 10 years.

Mokaraka hit Mr Booth, who suffers from cerebral palsy, repeatedly with an iron bar or softball bat after he and Simeon burst into the couple's Mt Wellington apartment in September 2002, demanding money and drugs.

It was only after dealing to Mr Booth that it dawned on the robbers that they had come to the wrong address.

Prosecutor Mark Davies said that instead of leaving when they realised their mistake after seeing Ms Gray's wheelchair, Mokaraka and Simeon spent the next 90 minutes ransacking the place and stripping the apartment of the couple's valuables.

In her victim impact report Ms Gray said the effect on her life had been "carnage". The attack put an end to Mr Booth's sporting career.

Outside the court the couple said they were happy that the ordeal was over and they were trying to get on with their lives.


They have moved house to try to erase memories of the event.

"This is all part of the process of recovery. It has been a long time, but we have definitely moved on," Ms Gray said.

Mokaraka, represented by Roy Wade, admitted charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. He was also found guilty by a jury of trying to get a remand prisoner to take the blame.

Simeon, represented by Paul Borich, was found guilty of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

Mr Davies said that after Mr Booth was bashed, the robbers put a towel over his head to stop him identifying them. A jersey was also put over Ms Gray's head.

The victims were asked personally invasive questions and threats were made.

Several trips were made as the robbers took everything of value.

Mr Booth's car was used to take away some of the stolen goods.

Mr Wade said it was of little solace to the victims to know that the offenders had targeted the wrong apartment.

But he said that the violence was done before the mistake was realised.

The judge turned down a Crown application for preventive detention.

Mokaraka has previous convictions for aggravated robbery and burglary, aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer.

Simeon was jailed in 1990 for the aggravated wounding of a bread delivery man who died 12 weeks after being stabbed when he disturbed Simeon and others burgling a South Auckland dairy.